


Run a Shot Across the Bow

by adolescentcanine, irllink



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Pirate AU, RP Turned Fic, You're Welcome, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-26 19:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12065655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adolescentcanine/pseuds/adolescentcanine, https://archiveofourown.org/users/irllink/pseuds/irllink
Summary: "It's just an old wives tail," Revali scoffs. "A princess of a lost kingdom burying her treasure? Please. I haven't heard that story since I was a toddler.""Ganondorf isn't one to chase after flimsy stuff like that, though!" Ravio stresses. "Whatever she buried, legend has it it's worth more than all the gold in the sea!"--Tetra's crew follows the myth of Zelda's Treasure, and find love and friendship along the way. Or, well. Something like that.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> We wrote this as an RP, originally. I’ve tried to fix it up as best as possible so it’s legible as a work of readable fiction. We apologize for any inconsistencies. 
> 
> Also, this entire thing is very self indulgent.

The boy is young, blonde, tan, and very obviously dead. 

Well. Almost dead.

Mipha lugs him off the ocean floor and swims quickly upwards, breaching the surface of the water and dragging him to a small sandbed. He has to be ten, at the most. Mipha loves watching the humans run about on the decks, which is lucky for the human boy when she sees some older boys push him in. 

She rests her ear against his chest, and when she feels the quiet beating of a human heart, she works on pumping water out of his chest. Once she's gotten as much as she could out, she pulls off his shirt and rests her hands against his bare chest. They glow very slightly green, healing his watersoaked lungs and evaporating the rest of the liquid he had breathed in. 

"You should really learn how to swim, child," she whispers, removing her hands. She brushes some of his hair away from his face, then settles down next to him, tail half submerged, and waits for him to wake up.

Minutes pass. He finally coughs once, twice, three times before his eyes shoot open.

The boy doesn't immediately sit up; instead, he raises a hand above his face, moving his fingers, turning his hand over. He slowly sits up, watching his own chest rise and fall.

Yep. He'd lived. 

He pushes back the rest of his bangs, consciously taking a few breaths before noticing the mermaid sitting next to him. She’s not much larger than him, and he notes that mermaids are less human than the legends speak of. This mermaid is very fishlike, covered in red and white scales, and has a separate tail coming from her head, instead of hair. He swallows.

The boy doesn't panic, or ask questions, or even speak. Perhaps he's in shock, but he just looks at her. 

"Are you alright, human?" Mipha asks, trying for a calming smile. She makes sure not to show her needle-like teeth, because those are the opposite of calming. "You had a nasty fall, but I made sure to get all of the water out of your lungs..." She scoots a bit closer, lugging her large red tail behind her. "Does anything hurt…?"

He stares a bit longer before snapping into attention and shaking his head.

"I... don't think so." It takes him another moment to remember his manners, "Oh, um- thank you for, um..." He motions vaguely to where he supposes his lungs might be, "For that."

"I couldn't just let you drown..." Mipha laughs softly and holds out a hand in greeting, the way she had seen humans on the dock do before. "My name is Mipha. And yours is....?"

The boy takes it, hand tensing a moment-- he wasn't expecting the scales.

"I-I'm Link." He looks from her hand back to her face, "I sometimes help my friend's uncle at the blacksmith, but he didn't need any help right now, so we were out playing, and..." he trails off, slowly remembering how he came about the whole almost-drowning situation. Oh.

Mipha squeezes his hand. 

_Playing._

"Of course," she agrees, not pushing him. "Link, do youknow how to swim...? If you want, I can teach you, that way you won't have to worry about that happening again.” He shakes his head. 

"I'm not supposed to go on the docks because of it, but..." Link pauses, and shakes his head again. "No ma'am. I don't know how to swim."

"Well, I suppose it's time you learn." Mipha pushes herself back towards the water again. "Come here, Link. It's easier than it looks, I promise you." 

He follows. He's only known this mergirl (and wow, mermaids actually exist? What?) for roughly five minutes, but if she saved his life, she wasn't going to just drown him again, right? Right. 

He reads the situation well. Mipha doesn't drown him. For someone without legs, she proves to be an excellent teacher, and Link is an excellent student. 

"The sea is your friend," she tells him quietly, adjusting his posture. "She's a scary beast at times, but you'll never find anyone as kind as she can be. Learn to work with her, and all of the ocean's riches are yours."

Link, a picture-perfect ten year old, wipes snot from his face from all the blowing-out-from-your-nose-underwater part. He nods, and repeats after her, "The sea is my friend." 

He turns to look at the water, a serious expression on his face as he asks it not to try and drown him again.

She laughs, reaching forward to take his hands. "She would never hurt you knowingly. You have to learn to work with her, alright? Swimming is the first step.” Mipha takes his hands, dragging him alongside her as he kicks. 

It's sunset when she finally takes him back to the village shore, his arms around her neck as he rides on her back. "If you'd like to, I'd very much like to see you again." Mipha says quietly as the lights of the town come into view. "You're already coming along so well in your swimming, you're like a natural!"

Link nods excitedly, "I play near here every day, so I'll come see you lots, I promise!" As soon as his feet are back on land, he holds out his pinky finger to her.

Mipha blinks at it, unsure of what to do for a moment. She finally offers her own pinky, and though it's hard to link them properly with the webbing between her fingers, they shake on it. 

"Please be safe, Link!" she calls. "It's late, after all."

As soon as Link gets home, he tells his grandmother all about his new friend. His grandma is a kind woman, and so though she chalks it up to his young imagination, she tells him how glad she is that he made a new friend. Her only qualm is, "Next time you play with her, do try not to wear a nice pair of pants, okay?"

Link's excitement wakes him up the next day before the sun is even up, and he quietly tip-toes around the house trying to find a towel that won't be missed and an old pair of shorts. He quietly walks down to the docks and, as he suspected at this time of morning, finds himself alone. He grits his teeth as he sticks his feet in the freezing cold water. "You're supposed to be my friend, remember?" he reminds it, "I don't know how I'm supposed to work with you on this one."

The sun is rising above the cliffs in the distance when Mipha appears, rising from the depths. She isn't wearing any of her silver jewelry, this time. 

"You came so early!" she says, sounding slightly surprised, pulling herself onto the sand next to him. Her tail waves, splashing some water onto his legs. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, Link..."

He smiles widely, "Don't worry. It was worth it: look!" he points at the sunrise, "I don't get to see that very much." He remembers the question he thought of since first putting his feet in the water, "Is it not cold for you at night?"

"It's very pretty, isn't it?" Mipha agrees before holding out her arm for Link to examine. "Our skin is very tough and thick. It gets even colder down in the depths, but it's never really affected me. Heat, however, can be difficult. I'm not one for sunbathing, though it's something that my mother and brother love to do."

"Mother and brother!" Link observes, "I'm close to that, I think; I have a grandma and a sister. That's almost the same thing!" He smiles, "Are they nice?"

"Oh, very." Mipha nods, smiling fondly. "Sidon is such a momma's boy, it's adorable. He's very small still, but he paddles after her like a small guppy."

He stands, wading out into knee-deep waters, "Aryll can't swim either, and instead of following Grandma, she follows me, but..." he turns back and smiles at Mipha, "We aren't so different, huh!"

Mipha nods, pushing off the sandbank and pushing herself out to join him. The water gets suddenly deeper not far from where Link stands, and she stays there, watching him. "Save for the fact that I have gills and a tail," she teases, "and that your teeth are much flatter than mine.”

"Maybe I'll get so good at swimming people will think I have those, too," he laughs, "thanks to you!" 

“Oh, of course.” Mipha replies, eyes sparkling. “You owe me one.”

She makes sure that he doesn't go out too far, and they spend days together. He's a fast learner, and easily learns how to stay afloat, quickly followed by gathering the courage to open his eyes underwater as he tries his hardest to make his arms and legs go at the same time.She tells him all about her brother, her mother, and her father, larger than any mer in the sea. They sit beneath the cove as he practices with a cutlass she finds in an abandoned wreck, and slowly but surely, become friends. Best friends, if you'd ask Mipha. 

"Have you thought about what you're going to do in the future?" she asks him one day, years later. He's fifteen now, tanned with sunbleached hair, and she thinks she might just be the smallest bit in love. "I've heard that there are people looking for good sailors. Are you going to stay, or travel?"

Link props his elbows on his knees and sighs as he rests his chin in his hands. "I dunno," he says, trying to keep his unfortunately-changing voice on the deeper side- Mipha is a girl, after all. "Grandma isn't doing so well, and I have more experience with the blacksmith, so..." he shrugs, "I guess I'm staying here. But I don't really have to make the decision now, right? So I'll keep thinking about it." He lifts his head and tries to smile.

Mipha seems to relax at that. 

"I'm glad," she finally says, fiddling with her silver necklace. "It can be dangerous out there. I mean, not to say that you shouldn't chase your dreams if they lie past these docks, but..." She offers him a smile. "You do have a lot of time to decide, I suppose."

Link nods solemnly, looking out at the sea, closing his eyes as he breathes in the smell of salt water. 

He...has considered leaving.

The idea of the world outside of the town he knows is intimidating to him, but at the same time, he's curious. He wonders what other people are out there, what cultures and sights there are to see, and, of course, what different types of foods await him. But... 

"The blacksmith's is a safer choice," Link says, "And I don't want to leave Aryll and come back to someone totally different, you know?" he laughs, "I gotta be a good big brother and intimidate all her future boyfriends, right?"

"Oh, of course." Mipha laughs. "That's the real reason to stay, isn't it? How old is she now, anyway?"

"She's fourteen," he smiles, "Still an annoying little sister, though." He pushes his bangs out of his face and fixates his gaze on the water again.

He can tell himself he's staying all he wants. He can say that he still has plenty of time to decide. He can make excuses using his family as leverage.

He knows he's made his decision.

The next afternoon, as Link closes up the blacksmith's shop, one of his friends - a skinny boy named Flynn - runs up to him. 

"Link, Link!" he says, panting, grabbing his shoulder. "There's a new ship in dock looking for members! They say the captain is a woman, come on, we have to check it out!!"

Link uncharacteristically snaps to attention, excitedly nodding his head and following his friend in a jog to the docks, slowing to a stop and gawking at the size of the ship he stands before.

And, just as Flynn said, standing as the captain is a woman, tanned skin and bright blonde hair pulled up out of her face. She wears white leggings and a blue tank top, her hands gloved in black leather.

"-anyone who isn't a coward and has good legs for the sea." she is saying as they join the crowd. "We set sail tomorrow."

"Link, are you here to sell your sword to her?" Flynn's sister whispers, pushing herself up between Flynn and Link.

"Look at that ship, it's massive." Flynn whistles. 

"This is a waste of time," one of the woman's crew members scoffs. He's tall and tanned, white hair pulled back into four tight braids. "Look at this lot, you really think anyone here is good enough for our ship?"

The parrot on his shoulder sqwuaks, and the captain gives him a sharp look. 

"Don't be so quick to judge, Revali." she says. "Not everyone is as much of a braggart of their talent as you are."

Any words spoken to him go in one ear and out the other as he stares.

_We set sail tomorrow._

He waits until the sun has long-since gone down, using the night as a cloak as he sneaks out to the cove, barefoot as to not make any noise. He wades out until it's better to swim, in which he near-professionally does so. And then he climbs up into the cove, and waits.

Mipha can always tell when Link is near, and so it is only ten minutes before she emerges from the water. She rests her arms against the rocks at his feet, smiling up at him. It's a bit sad, as if she knows what he's come to tell her. 

"It's late," she says. "Is everything alright?"

He looks down at her, immediately finding himself unable to say the words he came to say.

Instead, he wordlessly moves to sit on the floor beside her, putting his feet in the water as he stares ahead.

He finally speaks, "A big ship came to the docks today."

"Oh, did it?" She picks a shell from between the rocks, rolling it between her fingers. "I believe I heard something about it. They come all the way from the other side of the Great Sea."

Link nods, "They're only here until tomorrow," he slowly kicks his legs in the water, "when they set sail again." He looks out into the sea again, the ocean breeze gently tossing his hair. "They're looking for crew members."

"...I think you'd be a fool not to join them, then." The tail of her head knocks against his leg fondly when he looks down at her, surprised. She gives him a sad smile. "Don't think I don't see how you gaze at all the ships leaving dock. Being a blacksmith may be easiest, but it's not what makes you happy. If you want to travel, you should travel."

Someone who didn't know her might chalk it up to ocean water, but Link finds himself having to tear his eyes away upon seeing the start of a tear in her eye, his gaze safely settling on the town.

Link cannot think of a single reassuring word, nothing to soften the blow of his leaving.

"It's what you need to do, right?" She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand briefly, leaning her head against his knee. "I'll see if I can find you and visit you, sometime. Just promise me that you stay safe, alright?"

He cups her face with his hands, guiding her up as he leans down, gently pressing his lips against hers in an innocent kiss. He finally breaks away to reply to her, "I promise."

Mipha's cheeks are somehow redder than usual when he pulls away, and she hopes he thinks it just a drick of the light. 

"...Here," she says, reaching back and unclipping the silver draped around her neck. It holds the royal emblem of her family, and she offers it to him. "Keep this, won't you? I know you won't be gone forever, but in case you ever miss home..."

He doesn't protest; he takes it and holds it gingerly in his hands, turning it over a few times.

He sadly smiles at her, finally meeting her eyes.

"Thank you," Link finally says, not just for the necklace, but for everything.

"You're always welcome." She squeezes his knee, fondly. They sit and stare at the stars for a while, until Mipha finally has to depart. 

"You need to sleep well for your trip tomorrow," she tells him, reaching forward to pat his cheek. "Again, be safe. Please."

She begins to leave before Link grabs her wrist, his expression saddened as he looks at her one last time before he leaves. He tries to give her a smile to remember him by as he lets go of her arm.

"I will."

"....Don't be too sad. You'll be back soon enough." Mipha almost sounds like she's trying to convince herself. She leans in, tapping the necklace around his neck. "Besides, the sea is our home. Wherever you are, I'll be with you in spirit." 

She stares into his eyes a moment longer, trying to remember the exact shade of blue, and then she's gone, her tail leaving a splash behind her.

—

Link is up bright and early the next day, packing only the absolute necessities (Mipha's necklace being one of them). He finds himself jogging to the decks, pant legs rolled up just below his knees and hair pulled back, his pace slowing and anxiety rising as he gets closer to the ship. 

He's really doing this, huh?

A tall woman (at least six feet) stands outside the ship, carrying large boxes up the gangway. She stops, holding one, and looks down at Link. 

"...You're new," she says. "Wanting to join the crew, huh? And here I was worried we wouldn't find anyone."

Link nods, perhaps a bit too excitedly. "If you'll have me." His response is delivered easily, but he stands there in intimidation, having to tilt his head up to look her in the eye.

"Hmm..." The woman looks him up and down, eyes stopping on the cutlass at his hip- the one Mipha and him had found, all those years ago. "Can you use that?"

Link nods again, though ever one for honesty, "I've never used it on another person, though."

"Hmm." The woman steps back on deck, dropping the large box, then motions to Link to follow her. "My name is Urbosa. I'm the second in command on this ship. Follow me and I'll introduce you to the captain. All goes well, you're coming with us."

Link quickly does as he's told, falling in step behind her, one hand in his pocket, running a thumb over Mipha's necklace, the other hand resting on the handle of his sword.

Close up, the captain is about the size of Link. She's older, but still young for a captain, at most 20 years old. Urbosa leads Link below deck to the captain's quarters, and the woman from before answers on the first knock. 

"I saw you in the crowd," she says when she sees Link. She looks him up and down, a frown on her face. "...You don't look like much, I'll be honest. But we really do need new crew members, and if you can even hold that cutlass you're welcome. You realize this isn't some sort of hobby though, right? We won't be back on these docks for another year at least, and you can't just quit when we get back. Understand?"

Link briefly turns to look back at his town, but looks her in the eye when he nods and answers her, "Yes ma'am, I do."

"Good." She nods. "Conviction is a good quality for one to have. Urbosa, show him to his quarters. He'll be Revali's for now."

"This way." Urbosa motions for Link to follow her. Across the ship and underdeck is where the crew sleeps, rows of hammocks hanging from the ceiling. "This is yours," she says, motioning to one in the corner. "We'll be taking sail in about an hour."

The man in the hammock above leans over with a scowl- it's the white-haired one from before, his parrot perched on a half-broken of rafter above him. "Who's this?"

"Your problem." Urbosa gives the man a cheeky grin, and he scowls. 

"Great. I always get the new ones."

Urbosa slaps Link on the back, almost knocking him over. "We'll see you above deck soon, new kid."

Link puts his small bag down on his hammock, looking around the room in wonder, taking it all in. He remembers the man above him, immediately turning his attention towards him. "Oh, um- I'm Link."

"Revali." Revali says flatly, sitting up so his legs dangle over the side of the hammock. "The parrot is Petunia."

"Hello!" Petunia calls, hopping onto Revali's shoulder. 

"...We must really be desperate if we're getting kids on the boat," Revali mumbles, looking Link up and down- that's been happening a lot, today. "You don't look like you can even carry a block of wood without falling over.”

"I can do that," Link replies, "I'm stronger than I look, um, sir." He smiles at Petunia, waving a little, "Hi."

"Hello!" Petunia repeats, and Revali sighs, dropping down so he's standing in front of Link. 

"So you say, but I'll believe it when I see it." He sneers. "You're lucky you got stuck with me, then. I'm the best shot in the Seven Seas, not to mention my bounty is one of the highest, only behind Urbosa and Captain Tetra. I'll make sure you get your sea legs, and if you fall behind I'll just leave you, get it, kid? The sea's not anyone's friend, least of all us who live on it. So follow my every command and you'll be fine."

Link replies without missing a beat, "The sea and I are friends, so it's ok. I'm not worried about it." He ignores Revali's blatant eyeroll as he continues annoying Revali, "Was Urbosa the- the really tall lady? And Captain Tetra is the blonde woman?"

"Yeah." What a weird kid. "Urbosa's the first mate, been around since before Captain Tetra was even captain. The Captain looks young, but treat her that way and you have a first class ticket into the water."

"That's ok. I can swim." What a really... really weird kid. "Oh... not that I'd wanna piss her off on purpose, I mean. I'm just good at accidentally saying the wrong thing. Um..." Link quickly realizes he's rambling and opts to stop talking.

"You're a freak, huh." Ravio snorts, motioning for Link to follow him. "Come on, then, we're taking off here soon. Take your last look at this ugly place before we're gone."

Link’s eyebrows raise for a moment, but decides it's not his fight to pick and follows Revali to the main deck, staring fondly at the buildings he grew up with. 

Yep. He's... he's surely leaving.

"Just stay out of the way for now," Urbosa tells Link when they begin to depart, as Revali climbs his way to the mast to undo the ties holding the sails. They begin to pull away, and Link stares back at the town he's grown up in as they begin to leave. His sister and grandmother stand on the dock waving, Aryll jumping up and down to catch his attention. Underneath, in the water, Mipha is barely visible. She blows him a kiss, then waves. Link runs to the edge of the ship, leaning dangerously far to catch the very last glimpse of Mipha diving underneath, silently saying farewell as he feels the ship move.

"If he falls off, I'm not diving in after him." Revali murmurs to Urbosa as he climbs back down the ropes. She snorts. 

"Give him time, he's just a small town boy, after all."

 


	2. part I: voyage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Please, listen!" Ravio begs. "Come on, Hilda, I'm a lot of things but I'm not a liar- you know that! When I was working for the Navy, Ganondorf was following a big lead on Zelda's Treasure. I saw the map, I know where he narrowed it down to! The exact place, I promise! I don't have anything to lose if I know I'm going to die anyway, do I?!"

Link adjusts, and he adjusts well.

Revali sticks to his word, working Link until his fingers bleed, teaching him the quickest way to tie a knot, how to shoot, and hand-to-hand combat. Two years in, and Link is a full-fledged member of the crew. Four years in, he’s considered one of the top crewmembers, and Tetra often sends him onto the ships they looted, something she only let those she trusted most to do. (And sure, Revali is jealous, but he can’t be too upset when it was him that took Link to that point.)

He doesn’t see his hometown until four days after his twentieth birthday. 

Nothing has changed. The water is still calm, the docks crowded, and smoke still raises from the blacksmith's house. It was like he'd stepped back in time. 

"What a dump," Revali grumbles as he dropped the gangway. "I can't believe you spent fifteen years of your life here. I would go crazy."

"Oh, please." Urbosa claps Revali on the back, almost knocking him over. Petunia fluttered her wings in amusement. "We're two towns away from Kass, after all." 

Revali sputters, pushing her away and storming back onto the dock.

"Oh, you were too young to notice when we docked at Rito last time." Urbosa winks in response to Link's questioning look. "Kass and Revali have been lovers since as long as I've known him. He just wants to hurry back to see him. It's been five years, after all. I'm sure you know the feeling."

Link is about to press further on that, but a familiar voice calls out to him.

"Big brother!" 

Aryll, never one to ask permission before doing things, bounds up to the deck of the ship, jumping into a hug in which Link quickly returns, spinning her around and bursting into laughter, "Aryll! You're so grown up!" 

And she is. She's taller and her hair is much longer, pulled into a side braid over her shoulder. She wears a long dress, something she'd never wear when Link had left, and lost a sandal on her way to hug him. She yells as Link, who's now strong enough to do so, refuses to let go of her. "How long are we docked?" He asks Urbosa, smile unfaltering.

"Three days while we resupply." Urbosa nods, a fond smile on her face. "You can spend the time with your family, if you want."

"Not too much time, we're still working!" Revali yells over the rail of the ship, and Urbosa rolls her eyes. 

"Ignore him. Go, say hello to your grandmother for me."

Link smiles at her before Ayrll drags him back home, where Flynn and his sister, a few other friends from the blacksmith, and Link's grandmother await him, his first home cooked meal in years almost ready as everyone welcomes him back, eager to hear stories from his travels. 

Once he's dazzled them with tales from the sea and filled his stomach, they understand how excited he must be to sleep in his own bed again and leave him be.

He realizes it really is like he went back in time as he repeats the long forgotten process of staying up until everyone is asleep, tiptoeing across his home and sneaking out, putting his shoes on only once he's through the door.

It's not long before he's diving into the ocean, still remembering the way to the cove like he'd still been visiting every day. He hoists himself up, waiting, though he knows there's no promise she even remembers him.

But still, he waits.

And waits...and waits... and truly, it's been a busy day for him, so he understandably winds up falling asleep, hands folded over his stomach and head tipped back.

Beneath the waves, Sidon is in the middle of a grand tale when Mipha senses him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, little brother," she interrupts him, and he pauses, blinking, "But I'm afraid I have to go, right now." 

And then she's off like a shot. Sidon waves after her- only one thing would make her run off like that. He's happy that Link is back. 

She finds a harder time pulling herself up onto the rocks. Mipha’s larger, now, her tail now twice as long as human legs. She's hit a growth spurt, and she hopes Link isn't put off by how much larger she is. 

But he's larger, too, she realizes when she catches sight of him. He's tanned, his hair longer, and Mipha feels her heart pound faster in her chest because oh goddess, he's handsomer, too. 

And alive. 

She thanks every being out there that he's alive.

She sits there, watching him breath for longer than she's like to admit before she reaches out, stroking his cheek. 

"Link," she whispers, "Link, wake up."

"Five more minutes," he groans before waking up enough to realize he's not in his hammock. He jerks awake immediately, looking around the cove in a daze before blinking a few times, eyes focusing on Mipha.

Mipha!

He nearly launches to his feet, smile wide and genuine before swooping down and nearly tackling her into a hug, squeezing perhaps a little too tightly, her own necklace dangling from his neck. "You came!"

Mipha laughs, startled, and clings to Link's neck. 

"Of course I came, I've been waiting for you to come home for five years.” When he pulls back, her eyes are wet, and she reaches forward to carress his cheek in her scaled, webbed hands. "Look at you, you.... tall. The sun gave you freckles, I can't believe you're really back..."

His grin turns back into the familiar gentle smile as he brushes her tears away from her cheeks. 

"Hey, don't cry," he says, "Check this out," he pulls back his sleeve to reveal a scar that suggested it was once an ugly wound, "Woulda been a lot worse if you hadn't taught me how to use that sword. Oh- hey, look at this. You're not gonna believe it," he holds back laughter as he pulls his shirt up, "Abs, Mipha!" he collapses into laughter.

Mipha gasps, resting her hand against them. "Look at you. You really are an adult, now that you have a stomach like a washboard." She withdraws her hand to trace among the scar, a small frown on her face. "...It hasn't been too bad, has it?" she asks. The scar does look properly stitched up and healed, but she still worries. "You have to tell me everything. Sidon has been making up stories of your grandeur, you know. He told me you saved the entire world from a sea monster, so you'll have to let me know if that's true or not."

"Hey, he's not far off the mark! Except instead of the world it was just our ship, and it wasn't just me who fought it." He mimes drawing back an arrow, "Urbosa called it Tentalus. It was huge, Mipha, like something out of a storybook. Revali shot it down-- he's kind of a jerk, but he knows how to use a bow-- and Tetra and I whacked it down until it let us go. I really thought we were gonna die." He pauses, "I probably shouldn't have told you that last part."

"If you ever did die, I would find your corpse and bring you back to life just to give you an earful." Mipha pinches his cheek fondly, eyes alight with happiness over just being with him again. "You're incredibly lucky, the sea monsters out there are all very large and strong. Few ships go through them and survive..." She reaches forward, fingers brushing against the necklace (her necklace) that hangs around his neck. "...I'm glad it's kept you safe so far," she murmurs.

Link smiles at her, "So Sidon makes up stories about me, huh?" 

He tells her story after story, perhaps exaggerating parts of some, and being vague on others so not to worry her further. He's become quite the storyteller, speaking with his hands and dramatically making motions, feeling rewarded every time he gets the reaction he wants from her.

He finishes up a story about how Tetra once shot him out of a cannon when he notices the sun threatening to rise, and he brings his tales to an end with a flourishing bow. 

Link smiles again, his expression quickly turning soft once more.

"I really missed you a lot, Mipha."

She can't help but be amazed at the man Link has grown up to be. It's no wonder that he's already one of the most popular men on the boat. (And she can't help but be happy that he hasn't mentioned any other man or woman on the boat that he's involved with. She's still held out for him, all these years.)

Mipha claps at the end of his story, and then give shim a happy smile. "...I've missed you too. Fiercely. I was worried you wouldn't come back, it's been so long, or if you had, you'd have forgotten..."

Link shakes his head, "Of course I wouldn't forget you," He sits on his knees, facing her, "Keep it between you and me, but I think I thought about you more than I thought about my family.” He laughs for a moment, but he quickly finds himself just smiling, finally face-to-face with his best friend once again.

"Oh, Link..." Mipha beams, her sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. "...How long are you staying?" She wants him to say 'several months', or even better, 'for good', but she doesn't dare to hope. Link lives on the ship, now, there's no way he can simply stay on land, now.

His expression turns to something sad as he manages to answer, "...Only three days." He tries to smile again, "But we're stopping two towns over, so I might ask if I can stay here and catch up with them. Then it'd be six days...! That's almost a week!"

"...I can see if I can meet you there, actually..." Mipha takes his hand. "You don't want to leave them when you're still a fairly new member, do you? It will be a nice trip, not too far..."

"It wouldn't be too long of a swim for you?" his face brightens a bit, squeezing her hand as he speaks. "Where would we even meet?"

Mipha shakes her head. "No, it won't be. I'm guessing you'll be stopping in Rito. There's a little half-underwater cave just outside the town limits I can meet you at, if you don't mind looking for it..."

Link shakes his head, "I don't mind at all." 

The sun is truly coming up now, and he knows he has to reluctantly go back before someone notices he's gone. He cups her face with his hands, pressing his forehead against hers and smiling wide, "I'm so glad I got to see you again."

"Me too," Mipha whispers, and oh, goddess, the feelings she had definitely hadn't gone away. His skin is warm against hers, and all she wants is for him to stay there with her. 

But she knows he can't, so she withdraws and slips back into the water. 

"Tell me more tomorrow night, won't you?" she asks. "I want to hear more about your crew."

Link leans down, quickly kissing her cheek, cursing himself for not having the courage he'd been collecting the past years to kiss her lips for longer this time to make up for the one all those years ago. But the fact that she was here, and that he was finally with her again...

It was all a little overwhelming to him. A good overwhelming, but still.

Overwhelming. 

He finally remembers to reply to her, "I will."

Mipha stares after him as he leaves, her hand resting over her cheek. 

Oh, man, she was in love. 

—

The next day, Revali meets Link outside the ship bright and early. They have restocking errands to do, and though both would rather sleep in, orders are orders. 

"This sucks," Revali grumbles, handing Link the rolled up parchment Urbosa had given him. "You know your way around here, so you lead the way, got it?"

"Shopping! Shopping!" Petunia cries, pecking at Revali's ear. 

"Yes, yes. Shopping," he replies.

Link takes the paper, reading it over. He nods, "A lot of this stuff is in the market." He points down a street Revali obviously doesn't recognize, "There's a shortcut down here."

"Alright." Revali follows, hands in his pockets. They're onlyhalfway through the small street when a man, around Link's age, pops out from behind a stand. 

"Hello, hello! You two are new in town, aren't you?" he says, offering a hand. A thick purple hood covers all of his face save for his smile. "Came in with the ship. Is there anything I can help you with? The name's Ravio, pleasure."

"You can get out of my face," Revali growls, waving his hand away. "We aren't interested.”

Link is more polite, offering a smile, "I'm sorry, I know where to find everything we need." He begins to walk away with Revali, "Good luck, though." He starts talking to Revali again, telling him what shops have what and offering a meeting place. Ravio stares after them, then smirks to himself. 

The ship is empty, and it's easy enough to sneak on. Embarrassingly so- Ravio has spend his entire life looting pirate ships in dock. He thinks of himself like Robin Hood. Taking from the criminals and giving to the poor, save for the 'giving to the poor' part. He just keeps it all for himself. 

And everything goes wrong very, very fast. 

He's below deck, rummaging through belongings when he hears the first mate board. It's easy enough for him to hide, and he begins to plan his new escape route when sheyells out, "Link, Revali, hurry up!" 

"What's the rush? We just barely got what we needed!" Revali gripes, dropping a sack full of non-perishables on the dock. 

"The Navy is closing in not to far away." She tosses Link a bundle of rope. "Hate to say it, but we have to pull out right away."

"Shit," Revali curses, pushing Link aside to begin pulling up the gangway.

Below deck, Ravio feels the ship move and internally panics. 

Oh, god. He hadn't prepared for this.

"Already?" Link blurts out, hand instinctively on his necklace. He knows better than to complain, so he leaves it at that and puts the rope to the side, helping Daruk cast the sails-- as if a guy his size needed any help. He already starts writing Aryll an apology letter in his mind as he contributes to the chaos on board, the crew running around and getting things done like a well-oiled machine. Even Tetra herself is seen carrying boxes to the storage room, though quickly returning to her spot at the wheel.

"Well, it's good to be kept on your toes!" Daruk bellows cheerfully as they tie down the extra ropes. "Keeps you young!"

"I think it does the exact opposite," Revali gripes as he passes by. 

It isn't long until they're back at sea, Link's hometown fading into the distance. The chaos calms, and Tetra sighs, turning to face her crew. 

"Well, that was unexpected." She nods at Link. "Sorry to cut your visit short."

Link shakes his head, remembering the visit to Rito and Mipha's promise to meet him, "It's okay. Though I foresee an angry letter from my sister in my future." He laughs, though is suddenly hit with a pang of panic in his gut, "...We're still going to Rito, though, right?"

Revali's attention snaps from Petunia, who is pecking seeds from his fingers.

"Of course we are, don't be stupid!" he snaps, a bit panicked. They had to go to Rito.

"...If all goes well." Tetra nods, looking back towards the sea. "We'll head there, and hopefully there won't be any attention from the armada there."

"Excited to see Hilda?" Urbosa teases, and Tetra shoots her a glare before waving her hand at her crew. 

"At ease, then. Keep on your toes in case we have to rush."

Link and Revali both simultaneously sigh in relief, Revali shooting Link a confused glare. Link doesn't notice, though, and nods, quietly deciding to go down to the sleeping quarters, embarrassingly eager to change into the light long-sleeved shirt he'd snagged while shopping (he used his own money, of course). 

Ravio's hiding skills are ones to be praised as Link staggers down the stairs, removing his shirt as he heads toward his hammock to save time, changing in record time.

He does pause, however, turning his necklace over in his hands as he lays down, noticing the wear from the years is gone. He smiles, remembering that Mipha briefly touched it, figuring she had something to do with it's returning shine.

Even after all these years, she’s still so mysterious. 

He feels the ship moving at a normal speed, the gentle rocking long-since becoming a comforting thing to him. Link truly meant to just rest his eyes for a moment, but soon he's softly snoring, exhausted. Not far away from where he sleeps, Ravio panics. 

The ship moving beneath him is terrifying. For someone who loots pirate ships for a living, he’s actually never been on a pirate ship while it moves. He has no idea just how ruthless these pirates are, and even though the one snoring not too far away from him seemed nice enough, looks could be deceiving. 

He only creeps out when he notices the silver glinting, hanging off of Link's hammock. He picks it up, eyes widening. It's real silver, that's for sure. Real silver is hard to come across these days, and it must be worth thousands. The mark on it he's never seen before, but he pockets it without thinking much of it. 

Well. He's about to pocket it, at least, until Link wakes up.

He stirs andsquints at first, sleepily trying to remember if there was anyone on the crew who wore such an obnoxious color.

Then he quickly snaps awake when he sees his necklace in the other man's hands. Link has never moved so fast in his life, springing up and knocking Ravio to the ground, pressing his knee into his back and twisting his arm behind him, planning to shout "Stowaway!!", but quickly recognizing him. Ravio winces, wiggling slightly underneath him.

"...You're that merchant.”

"Hey, buddy, I like you, but not in that way," he jokes. "Uh, yes, that's me! I came to sell some stuff, and you all took off and now I am regretfully stuck!"

Link bends his arm further, ignoring Ravio's dramatic cry as his hand opens; Link snatches his necklace back and examines it. Once he's deemed it fine, he puts it in his pocket and continues his line of questioning. "Why were you down here if you were just trying to sell us stuff?"

Ravio's voice is borderline panicked, positive his arm is about to be broken. "I got lost!" he manages, biting back another cry of pain. "Haha, it's a very large ship, easy to get lost trying to find someone to sell to, right? Right?"

Link's knee digs into his spine, his nails pressing into Ravio's arm, "Then why were you trying to loot me as I slept?" 

"Okay, okay! You're going to break my arm!" Ravio takes in a deep breath. "My name is Ravio, I loot pirate ships for a living originally employed by the Hyrulian Navy but I defected because I didn't like working for them and I wanted all the treasure for myself and I snuck on here but you all left very suddenly and now I'm stuck and I don't know your necklace is worth thousands so I just took it, okay? Please get off me!!"

Link roughly releases him, getting up and very briefly allowing Ravio to rest before his foot comes down on his back, keeping him in place.

"We got a stowaway down here!" He calls out. Urbosa comes down the stairs a moment later. She catches sight of Ravio, and raises her eyebrows. 

"So we do." 

Five minutes later, Ravio's arms are tied behind his back, and Urbosa is walking to Tetra's quarters with him thrown over her shoulder, Link close behind. 

"Captain, we have a problem," she says, tossing him at her feet. Tetra looks down at the man, and sighs. 

"...Of course we do."

"He says," Link starts, "that his job is looting ships like ours." He glances at Ravio, "His job, captain."

Tetra gets down on her knees to examine Ravio's face. 

"...Ravio," she finally says, smirking. "The Ship Looter. I haven't seen your rat face in a long time." 

"Shall we throw him overboard?" Urbosa asks, and Tetra shakes her head. 

"No, he'll be traveling with us. This boyhas a higher bounty than you and I combined, and it's not with the Navy. First person we find who wants his head, we'll sell him over."

Link whistles; Ravio grimaces.

"So who's issue is he?" Link asks, though he thinks he unfortunately knows the answer to this one.

"Try every pirate in the seas." Tetra leans against her desk, crossing her arms. "This kid's been stealing from ships since he could walk. Good at it, too. It's lucky we took off when we did or we'd be out of luck.” She nudges Ravio's cheek with her boot. "Not to mention, I'm sure Hilda will be so excited to see you."

"Oh, come on!" Ravio whines, and Tetra laughs. 

"Take him back below deck, Urbosa. Link, you found him, so you make sure he pulls his weight while he's here.”

Link sighs but smiles, finding it somewhat amusing that he'll finally know how Revali felt all those years ago. He nudges Ravio, adding his boot to the collection of ones that have been in his face, "Get up, then. Say goodbye to your pockets, by the way, I'm cutting those off as soon as we get to the storage room."

"Of course you are." Ravio mumbles. Before he can move to stand, Urbosa yanks him to his feet and draws her dagger, cutting through the thick ropes around his wrist. 

"Have fun." She gives Link a knowing smile as he leads Ravio out of the room. "And good luck."

"I'm gonna need it," he calls over his shoulder, marching Ravio down to storage and setting to work on his clothes, glaring at him every time he finds more stolen belongings of his crew members'. "Come on, man. Why couldn't you have just sold your shit and had that as a job?"

"Well, this is how I get my shit to sell, so." Ravio shrugs, staring at the growing pile of stolen objects. "What about you, then? You like your job?”

Link thinks about it, giving him a final pat down before answering, "I like the experiences it gives me."

"That's how I feel about my job." Ravio shrugs. "It's not that different. You loot ships, I loot your loot. And we both get experience."

Link rolls his eyes, smacking a hand on his back before going to get a broom. "Let's get started, new guy."

He tosses him the broom, perching atop a box, making no move to grab a second one, "We can start in here."

"...Started doing what." Ravio stares down at the broom in his hands. "Am I supposed to use this?"

"Yep." Link nods, “Sweep." He raises his voice when Ravio stands stationary, looking at Link with raised eyebrows, "Sweep!" and then under his breath, "Come on, man…" 

Ravio finally huffs and starts to sweep, visibly unused to it. 

Revali thinks it's hilarious. 

"Oh, at least Link did what you told him to." Daruk rolls his eyes as he laughs. They're on deck, eating beneath the stars as they tend to do when it's nice out. Ravio is underneath, enjoying his meal alone in a holding cell. 

"Still." He chuckles, giving Link a crooked grin. "I'd never though we'd have a stow away. What did Captain call him? The Ship Looter?"

Link rolls his eyes, "I have a few other names I'd like to call him. Who flirts with someone they've gotten in trouble with?" He starts to laugh, "He seemed pretty upset that we were bringing him to this Hilda character. I can't wait to see how that goes down."

"Oh, you weren't around for that." Revali grins. "Hilda is Tetra's wife. She was one of the biggest pirates of the sea, before Ravio robbed her blind. I'm very excited to see how it goes down."

Link whistles, "Wife, huh. Never noticed a ring-- actually, now that you mention it, she wears a necklace, doesn't she? Keeps it under her shirt?" He smiles. "I'm happy for her," he says, like they'd just gotten married.

"You're just saying that because Kass frequents it," Daruk laughs, and Revali elbows him. 

"Yeah? And what of it?”

"Kass..." Link looks up as he thinks, "Oh! Your boyfriend." He nods, as if he'd discovered something incredible. His smile turns a bit sideways after he processes the words, though. Frequents the bar, huh? Well, he should have figured Revali would be involved with someone like that. He tries to picture him, a strong ex-sailor, maybe even once a captain, muscles on top of muscles, tattoos and scars everywhere. He'd glare as they came through the door, his piercing expression not even changing upon seeing Revali, though Link figures he might give him a free drink or two, saving any physical affection for when they got home.

He shakes himself out of his suppositions as he shovels another spoonful of food into his mouth. "We gonna meet them both?" He asks with his mouth full.

"Unless you get stuck guarding our new favorite prisoner." Revali snorts, licking some food off his finger. "You haven't been to Rito, have you? Last time we went was before we came and picked you up." 

"It's a mostly pirate town, so we'll be able to avoid the Navy." Daruk finishes his food and burps. "Revali's hometown.”

"No, I haven't."

"It's a good enough place. Cold." Revali yawns.

Link silently thanks his past self for buying his new shirt in long-sleeves, never being one to withstand stand the cold. "Anybody want to volunteer to guard our fresh meat? I've got something to do in Rito..."

"What do you have to do in Rito?" Revali raises his eyebrows. 

"He's never been there! Of course he'd want to explore!" Daruk grins. "I'll look after him, little guy. You have fun."

Link beams, standing and dropping his dishes in the washbin. In his good mood, he plans to take dish duty from whoever had it that night, but quickly remembers: They have a rat to do those things for him! Ravio is lying on the floor when Link comes down to fetch him, staring up at the ceiling. 

This wasn't how he'd been planning to spend his day. When he catches sight of Link, he sits up, grinning.

"Hey, handsome. Missed me?"

Link raises his eyebrows, and unlocks the gate, crossing his arms and watching him closely. "Got a job for you."

"Well, I think I'm quite comfy where I am." Ravio pats the wooden floor. "So, thank you, but I think I'll stay here."

Link sighs before stepping into the cell and grabbing his ear, nearly dragging him by it.

"It's not up to you, buddy."

"Sweet Goddess, fine!" Ravio bats his hands away and covers his ear, wincing. "Has anyone told you you're impossibly rude?"

"I'm quite the gentleman, actually," he smiles, "but unfortunately you're not an morally-innocent and beautiful woman, so." He shrugs, grabbing the back of of Ravio's shirt and forcing him up the stairs. "Let's go."

"So you're a ladies man?" Ravio grins. "You don't seem the type." 

Link doesn’t answer, instead shoving him in front of the dish tray. Ravio’s grin falters.

“Oh.”

Link smiles at him. "Yep."

"Great," he says, slumping. “Thanks."

“Oh, no problem, new guy.” Link slaps a sponge into his hand and heads to where Daruk and Urbosa sit, playing cards. It’s fun, he thinks, having someone under him.

—

The trip to Rito takes three days, the weather slowly chilling to the point they all (save for Revali) are wearing thick jackets. 

"I think my arms might fall off," Ravio groans, scrubbing at a particularly rough part of the deck. 

"No use for thieves with hands anyway," Tetra muses, turning the wheel in the direction of the large mountain looming in the distance. "That's proof Link is working you well.”

Link chuckles from the other side of the deck, going through the list of requests for when he inevitably goes shopping in Rito. "Captain, can you remind Daruk not to help him with the chores?"

"I already let him know to keep his feet up." Tetra winks, and Ravio grimaces. 

"You're the worst pirates.”

"Don't worry, this might be your last stop, depending on what Hilda wants to do with you."

And then, Ravio looks very much like he wants to jump off the ship and into the freezing waters. 

"...Right."

Link smiles, saying, "I think I might even miss having someone to boss around," before sauntering down to the living quarters to double check his packing before they dock.

On his way down, he bumps into Revali, and tips an invisible gentleman's hat, "'Scuse me. You excited to see your man?"

Revali rolls his eyes. "That's a stupid question. I haven't seen him in five years- what do you think?" 

"Kass! Kass!" Petunia crows, and Reval reaches up to pet her head. 

"He's excited to meet you, for whatever reason. I just hope he won't be disappointed.”

Link raises an eyebrow. Excited? He shakes his head and keeps walking, clapping Revali on the shoulder before going downstairs, "I'm happy for you, man."

"...Thanks," Revali says, sounding a bit confused. Link was in a good mood. 

They reach the dock when it's still dark out. Revali climbs up to tie down the sails, and Urbosa claps Link on the back. 

"Let's go out drinking," she says, pulling him close. "You've been working hard, so my treat. To make up for leaving your hometown so early. Hilda's bar is the best place to be in this town, anyway, and you'll get to meet everyone."

Link beams, attempting to wrap his arm around her as well. She’s too muscular for him to do it comfortable, but at least he tries. 

"That sounds good to me."

They all go as a merry band of shitheads, Tetra leading and Revali trying to sulk in the back, masking his utter excitement. 

She swings open the door to the bar, her eyes locking onto the thin woman behind the counter who slowly looks up, expression shockingly calm and unchanging upon seeing her wife after five years.

"Sorry, lady, we don't serve savages here." 

Tetra and Hilda crack a smirk at the same time, Tetra marching over to the counter and pulling her wife in for a kiss by the collar of her shirt. She slides onto the counter, knocking several glasses to the ground as their kiss gets embarrassingly...much in record time.

Link nods. Seems about right.

"This is a place of business!" Urbosa calls, a grin on her face, and Tetra doesn't even break from kissing Hilda as she flips her first mate the bird. "Oh, young love." 

"Gross," Revali mumbles, the bar door shutting behind him. Hilda's Bar is crowded with the usual types, but he's only got eyes for one person- the tall, slightly overweight man in the corner, playing the accordion. He coughs, then raises a hand when Kass catches sight of him. "...Hi."

Kass's song comes to a quick end as he stumbles to put his instrument down quickly yet safely, "Revali!", briskly jogging over to him and grabbing him into a tight hug, spinning him around and beginning to cry. "I've missed you so much!”

Revali just nods, holding Kass's face in his hands and kissing him, hard. 

"Your hair got longer," he mumbles, running one of his hands through it. "...I like it."

Link blinks. Seems about wrong. Definitely... not what he pictured, but he quickly shakes his head and smiles.

"Not what you expected, huh?" Urbosa waves down a server, grabbing a pitcher of beer from her platter. "Gotta say, I expected someone tougher, too. Kass is the best musician in Rito.”

Link watches as Kass fusses over new scars. ”They weirdly fit," he admits.

He holds his necklace again, briefly wondering if he'd underreacted when he was reunited with Mipha, hoping he didn't disappoint her, but his attention is quickly directed to the mug of beer Urbosa pours for him.

"So." Urbosa taps their glasses together before taking a swig. "Anyone special in your life? You didn't say anything when we were in dock, but I could tell you were disappointed we'd left so early."

Link thinks about this for a moment, finally answering, "I have a best friend I've kissed once, if that counts." He nods. It seemed accurate enough. "You?"

"There's no time for me to have anyone." Urbosa smirks. "I'm not good enough at long distance relationships. Not like Revali and Tetra are. I couldn't stand to be apart from the people I love for too long."

Tetra and Hilda have broken apart, still in each others arms behind the counter, whispering arguements and half-hearted curses at each other. Revali is bragging about his most recent accomplishments, cheeks red from the kisses Kass continues to press to them as he talks. 

"...No, I couldn't do it." Urbosa sighs and takes a deep drink.

Link watches her, a pang of anxiety creeping into his chest.

Could he do it?

He quickly chugs the entire mug, Urbosa watching with raised eyebrows. 

The night goes on, Hilda throwing out orders left and right until everyone, including Link, is absolutely hammered. 

The bar is the loudest it's been in years, and Link uses it as a cover as he staggers out, finding it hard to keep his balance as he slowly makes his way back to the docks.

Where did Mipha say that cave was again? His vision is blurry no matter how many times he rubs his eyes. The woman he asks for directions points down further away from the docks. "There's a cave about fifteen minutes that way," she says, "But I wouldn't go this late. Are you really meeting someone in a cave?"

But Link is already gone, not listening to anything she says past the directions. The cave is removed from the actual land, a carving into the mountain a short swim away from the edge of town. Easy to make, for someone sober.

Link, however, isn't sober.

He squints, somewhat making it out as he removes his shoes and steps into the freezing water, wading out and shivering, walking until the cold water comes up to his chin. He's exhausted already, dipping his head underwater and trying to open his eyes, quickly going up for air and coughing immediately. 

He tries again and manages to do something of a dive, but instead of beginning his swim, he turns, his eyes staring up at the water above him, mesmerized by the distortion the water gives the night sky. 

Link stares as long as he can before he has to blink. Blink, he thinks, but as soon as his eyes close he finds it hard to open them. Oh... breathe, he thinks before getting a mouthful of seawater, sputtering and drunkenly trying to swim back to the surface, barely making any headway before his body gives up on him in the cold water, eyes flickering shut along with it.

Strong arms grab him before he gets too deep, and he's dragged through the water and onto land. 

"Link?! Link?!" Mipha smacks him on the back, and Link vomits a mixture of booze and water. "Goddess's sake, you almost gave me a heart attack!" 

She leans in and sniffs him. "...Are you drunk? What on earth made you decide to swim drunk?"

Honestly, this boy is an idiot at times. She wonders, briefly, why she loves him.

Link stays leaned over, roughly coughing as his head stays swimming. He eventually attempts to sit up, pressing his back to the cave wall, resting his head on the uncomfortable rock as he tries to regulate his breathing. He weakly laughs, his head drunkenly rolling forward to try to look at her, but it winds up just bobbing over his lap, his chin nearly touching his chest. "Mipha...!" he croons, "Yooou caaame!”

"...You're an idiot. Of course I came." Mipha sighs, reaching forward to unbutton his shirt. It's covered in water and vomit, and gross, and she throws it out into the ocean. She assumes he can get another one. "I cannot believe you fought the Navy, multiple pirates, and a sea monster only to almost drown drunk."

Link nearly throws himself at her, hugging her and leaning his heavy head against hers. 

"You s- saved me again!" he hiccups, bursting into a fit of giggles. "Now I own- I owed- I owe you my life twice."

"You can make it up for me by trying your best not to die," she sighs, hugging him back. "Really, you're such a handful." Her voice is fond as she says this, though, and she brushes damp hair from his face.

He leans back, looking at her, trying his hardest to keep his eyes open as he takes her in. 

"You are," he squeezes his eyes shut, trying to remember how to properly blink of all things, "so beautifu-" another classy hiccup, "beautiful." He drunkenly cups her face, squishing her cheeks and deeply laughing, pressing his forehead against her's fondly. Mipha flushes pink, her tail splashing the water nervously. Link being this open was... unexpected, though not entirely unwelcome.

"...Thank you," she finally says, nuzzling their faces together. "And you're handsome. The handsomest pirate in all the seas." She giggles, poking his forehead. "I hope you know that."

And then Link kisses her, ignoring the fact that he'd drank more than a healthy amount and then threw it up. Perhaps thankfully for her it's over quick and he's back to giggling. He follows up by kissing the side of her mouth and her cheek, quietly laughing as he whispers, "I like you, Mi-Mipha." He presses another kiss to her cheek, "No, no, n-no, I love you!" Link's drunken laughter raises in volume for a moment before he shushes himself, smile unwavering.

Mipha almost chokes on her tongue. 

"I-- Link, you can't just--" She stares at him, eyes wide. "...Link, you're drunk. You can't confess to a girl when you're drunk!"

"It's okay Mi-" another cough, "Mipha!" He smiles at her again, "I loved you before-" another hiccup, "before I was drunk, too."

"...I hope you don't regret this when you're sober," Mipha sighs, then leans forward to kiss him again. She rests her hands on his thighs to give herself better leverage, her lips soft against his.

Link pulls away to gasp in legitimate, drunken shock. "You kissed me!" He laughs before kissing her again, perhaps a little more messy and rougher than he usually would, having the time of his life for a guy who nearly drowned because he was drunk off his ass.

"You taste awful!" Mipha laughs. She's been waiting for years, after all. _I love you, too,_ she thinks, though she's too busy kissing Link to say it. 

Link eventually and reluctantly pulls away, "You are a good kisser," he states, "so this is not because of you." He scoots away, "I am so drunk," and promptly gets sick again.

Mipha bursts into giggles at the pure absurdity of it, slipping back into the water to splash the sick off his body. 

"You should head back to the ship, you need to rest." she tells him once he's clean and soaking wet again. "You'll wake up tomorrow with the most awful headache."

Link carefully picks a clean spot on the rocky floor, laying down and sleepily staring at Mipha. "I can rest here," he says, "with you."

"...That can't really be comfortable..." Mipha murmurs, though she pulls herself back out of the water and to his side. "You don't mind? I'm not that comfortable, being... scaled... and all..."

She's a bit self conscious, to be honest. She's not human, and fully aware of it- her skin is rough with scales, instead of smooth like Link's, and she doesn't have any hair on her body, and she's always wanted to cuddle with Link, but she's sure it wouldn't be very fun. "...But, um. I'd like to."

He silently wraps his arms around her, pulling her close, quickly falling asleep, the rise and fall of his chest peaceful as he holds her, no signs of discomfort whatsoever. Mipha finds it harder to sleep, if only because she's been dreaming of this for years. And sure, it isn't perfect. Link's drunk, and they aren't on a large pillow of sand, and they aren't, you know, married, but it's still nice. She finally falls asleep just as the sun begins to rise, head tucked comfortably beneath his chin and her arms wrapped around his waist.

Link wakes up well after the sun rises, thankful for the heat in the Rito cold, propping himself up on his elbow as his head throbs.

He quickly remembers his discarded shirt, making a reluctant note that he'll have to navigate the shops topless in the cold weather. But for now, he lays back down, gazing down at Mipha fondly. She continues to doze, her lips slightly parted, body and tail pressed against Link's body, and finally wakes when Link nudges her gently.

"...How's your head?" she asks, reaching up to run her fingers through his messy hair.

"Hurts," he groans, but weakly smiles, "By the way, I don't regret anything, now that I'm sober." He sleepily steals another kiss from her, "I think we have all day, by the way. My whole crew is as hungover as I am right now."

"...I can catch you breakfast." Mipha sits up and motions for him to scoot closer, beginning to untangle knots from his hair when he does. "Eating something may help."

"That would be... so wonderful," he exhaustedly smiles, sitting up again to help her with his hair, quickly giving up and simply pulling it up into a low bun. "If you wouldn't mind, that is."

"Of course I wouldn't mind, I offered." Mipha kisses him again, exhilarated simply by the fact that she could do that now, and backs up to flip into the water. "I'll be back soon with breakfast.... I love you."

She ducks under the water at that and swims away quickly, face hot. Oh, man.

Link smiles, bringing his knees up and hugging them to his chest, watching her disappear.

...His head absolutely kills.

—

Back on shore, Tetra wakes her wife up with a kiss, followed by a pillow to the face. 

"Don't sleep all day, Hilda," she scolds. "I haven't seen you in years."

She hasn't yet told her about the man she kept captive on her ship, instead waiting to gift him later on in the trip. But Tetra is nothing if not impatient, and she wishes Hilda would at least wake up so she could tell her.

Hilda doesn't move from her pillow, eyes shut as she groans, "Can't have a good time if I'm not well rested," though she knows Tetra will have her up in five minutes or less. 

But hey, no use in not at least trying.

"You had a good enough time last night on barely any sleep at all." Terra whacks her with the pillow again. "Up and at 'em. Some of us have important jobs, after all." she teases.

Her wife yawns, reluctantly sitting up, her long, dark hair nearly resembling a bird's nest. "I'm up. I'm at 'em."

"Hardly." Tetra snorts, sitting back down on the bed and leaning in to kiss her. "...Hey. I brought you something.” 

Hilda drapes herself over her, ignoring the strap of her top trying to slide off her shoulder as she leans her full weight on Tetra. "You know I only want you to bring yourself, right?"

Tetra laughs, leaning to kiss Hilda long and slow. She's missed this woman. "Among riches and gold, yes.... But what if I brought you the Ship Looter?"

Hilda sits up, calmly brushing hair behind her ear, never one to be obviously shocked. She smiles, "You shouldn't have."

"Well, he was on my ship, so I might as well." Tetra shrugs. "He must have let his guard down, he got stuck when we left port."

Hilda kisses her on the cheek, finally getting up to make herself presentable. "You really are never out of surprises."

"Well, I try." Tetra stretches before going to tie her hair up in its usual updo. "I doubt I'll see Revali today, busy he is with Kass... Did you happen to see where Link went?"

Hilda shakes her head, pulling on an old and tattered button-up as she speaks, "All I know is I saw the poor thing stumbling out right before we did."

"Lord, I hope he isn't lost or dead somewhere." Tetra sighs, checking her hair in the dresser mirror. "He was going on about a fish he had to see. He's a good kid, just a bit.... strange.”

Hilda steps into her shoes, "Strange? You mean he wasn't just drunk, he always talks like that?" She shakes her head. She doesn't miss being a captain at all.

"He can be a bit..." Tetra pauses and looks for the word. "...Dreamy. Link is a hard worker, and he's the best with a cutlass I've ever seen, but I'd pay to see what goes on in that brain of his."

Hilda nods knowingly, "The odd ones are always the best ones to have on your team." She taps her forehead, "Just a nugget of knowledge from one captain to another." 

Anyone else would have trouble figuring if she was trying to make Tetra laugh or not. Tetra rolls her eyes with a snort of laughter, catching Hilda's hand as she withdrew it. "I don't see any other captain here. Just an annoying bar owner."

Hilda sticks her tongue out, "So, any plan on your grabby-handed extra cargo yet?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you." Tetra turns to finish getting dressed, searching for her shirt. "I know he has a high bounty. If you didn't have any plans for him I was going to auction his head to the highest bidder.”

Hilda nods and whistles lowly, "I wanna see him first," she cracks a smile, "but that sounds like a plan to me."

"Well, he's on the ship. Daruk and Urbosa have been looking after him." Tetra buttons her jacket and starts for the door. "I know he's very excited to see you.*

Hilda smiles again, looping her arm with hers, "And I'm very excited to see him." She winks, "Lead the way, then."

Back on the ship, Ravio is trying very, very hard to convince Urbosa to let him go. His hands are tied again, attaching him to the wall of the ship, as him and Urbosa wait for Tetra and Hilda.

"Please?" 

"No."

"Please?"

"No, Ravio."

"But I thought we became friends! After all-"

She shoots him a glare. "No. I am not going against the direct orders of my captain for someone who I have spent a total of four hours with."

"What, Hilda hasn't killed him yet?" Revali asks as he boards the ship, Kass in tow. Both wear their scarves tightly around their necks, covering their previous... activities. "Kass, this is the moron I was telling you about, who apparently isn't dead yet."

Kass nods, "The moron! Of course. It is a pleasure to meet you, The Moron." He briefly lets go of Revali's arm to give him a formal bow.

"Don't think he deserves one of those, songbird." Hilda claps her hand on his shoulder, smirking at her bar's source of music, brushing past Revali with a nod.

"Oh, hi, Hilda!" Ravio plasters a smile on his face. "Fancy seeing you here! You don't look like you've aged a day, you know that?"

Hilda takes a big step towards him, sternly demanding that he look up. She leans in, examining his neck visually before quickly dragging her nail across it. 

"Probably... here?" She smiles.

"You're right, I think a necklace would look quite pretty there." Ravio says, trying his best to remain cheerful in the face of certain death. "Do you have any recommendations? I remember you have a very good taste in jewelry."

"A noose, maybe?" She turns back to Tetra, "Or perhaps a guillotine cuff? What do you think, darling?"

"Oh, I think a noose would work." Tetra nods, examining him. "Though perhaps a guillotine. I know there are at least ten men who would love to have his head on a pike."

"Do you think it'd be recognizable without any purple, though?" Hilda looks at Ravio, leaning away for a moment before reeling back and absolutely crushing her first into his eye, rings and all. 

She finally truly smiles as she brushes her hands off, "In case you were wondering, dear, that can barely constitute as payback for everything you stole from us, but..." Hilda spins her hand in the air, "I guess it'll do."

The force of her punch knocks Ravio back onto the deck, and Urbosa winces in sympathy. 

"Ouch."

"Well, I'll go get started on the auction posters, then." Tetra smiles, and as she starts to turn Ravio sits up, all sense of bravado and cheer gone. 

"W-Wait! Please, can we t-talk about this?"

Hilda and Tetra share a Look, Hilda finally rolling her eyes and shrugging with a wave of her hand as if to say, _Oh, whatever._

"You got everything you've ever stolen from everyone? And have a way to give it back?" Tetra says with a laugh, "Have a good time with your head on your shoulders the next few days, rat."

"What if I worked off my bounty?" Ravio seems almost desperate, his eye already swelling. "I-I know where a really big treasure is! I can take you there! It'll set you up for life, I promise!! And you won't have to give me any of it when we get there!"

"We don't have to give you anything in the first place, bub," Tetra laugh is roaring, Hilda hiding a smile behind her hand. "But hey, what the hell." Tetra leans in, grabbing his face so tightly she squishes it, "Lead us to it, Captain. You can die once we get this Really Big Treasure, huh?" Her tone turns condescending, as if talking to a dog, "Would you like that? Huh? Would you like to keep your head a little longer?"

"Please, listen!" Ravio begs. "Come on, Hilda, I'm a lot of things but I'm not a liar- you know that! When I was working for the Navy, Ganondorf was following a big lead on Zelda's Treasure. I saw the map, I know where he narrowed it down to! The exact place, I promise! I don't have anything to lose if I know I'm going to die anyway, do I?!"

Hilda mulls over it silently, thinking as she taps her fingers against her leg. "Zelda's Treasure, huh..."

"...That's not real." Revali scoffs, crossing his arms. "It's just an old wives tail. A princess of a lost kingdom burying her treasure? Please. I haven't heard that story since I was a toddler."

"Ganondorf isn't one to chase after flimsy stuff like that, though!" Ravio stresses. "Whatever she buried, legend has it it's worth more than all the gold in the sea!"

"...The rat has a point. He wouldn't be sending the Navy after some mere trinket." Urbosa says after a moment's thought.

Hilda nearly pouts, falling silent again for quite awhile. 

"Show us the map," she says, "Draw it yourself if you have to. Otherwise... you know, Tetra announces you've been captured, and you kiss your head goodbye."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Ravio looks absolutely grateful. Urbosa sighs, reaching down to cut his binds. 

"I'll get him parchment and ink. We'll get started on it right away."

"...Captain, you can't really be believing this guy." Revali raises his eyebrows at Tetra. "We should just turn him in and be done with him."

She claps a hand on his back, "Come on, where's your sense of adventure, Revali?" She leans in a bit closer to his ear, "Nice scarf, by the way."

Revali turned red, sputtering. 

"...L-Like you're any better!" he snapped, grabbing Kass's hand and pulling him back towards the dock.

Tetra laughs hard, her roar sailing through the air before surveying the deck a bit closer. "...Has anyone seen Link?"

"He said he had business somewhere in Rito, but he didn't come back last night." Urbosa calls from below deck. "I'm sure he's somewhere."

"Well, he needs to be somewhere to watch his prisoner," Tetra calls, following Revali's march off of the boat with a wave of her hand. "I'll find him, you guys do your thing."

"Good, because I'm not doing jack shit until we have to leave in a week." Revali mumbles, squeezing Kass's hand. 

Back in the cave, Link’s built a fire to roast the collection of fish Mipha had caught. She eats hers raw, curled up against his side as she does. 

”S'good," he says, talking with his mouth full and looping their arms together. "Thanks for catching these." He nudges her head with his, smiling.

"Of course." She smiles, reaching up to brush hair from his face. "Has eating helped your head...? Hopefully it's just a hangover, and you didn't bonk your head..."

"A little," he replies, "It'll be gone eventually." Link presses a kiss to the top of her head, thankful for just being here with her. 

He sits with her for like awhile, moving only to hold her face yet again, trying to remember every feature of her face. Link shakes his head, smiling, "You're so beautiful," he decides, leaning in to kiss her agai-

"Link! Where are you, you bastard!"

His attention is quickly drawn to the shoreline near the docks where he originally dove in from, letting go of Mipha to peer out of the cave to see Tetra huffing, a hand shielding her eyes from the sun as she scans the beach.

"Captain?" He says a bit too loudly, and her gaze snaps immediately towards the cave. It takes her a moment to see him, but she raises her eyebrows when she does.

"...What are you doing over there?!" She shouts over the distance.

Mipha covers her mouth. Link is the only human to have ever seen her, and she knew it was a risk to save him in the first place- mermaids were a myth, a legend, and if one was seen there would be a huge bounty out for one, alive or dead. 

"Just, um, say you wandered here drunk! O-Or something!" She scoots further back into the cave.

He looks back at her in a bit of a panic, but quickly turns back to Tetra and clears his throat, "...I got drunk off my ass, Cap!" he calls, "Your wife serves some top-class booze!" He flashes Mipha a thumbs up behind his back.

"Go ahead, I'll meet you here tonight." Mipha whispers. Tetra raises her eyebrows. 

"...And you just decided to stay in the cave?" She sighs and shakes her head. "Whatever, come back to the ship. We need to you watch the prisoner, there's been some developments."

"Not safe to swim until about now!" He yells out, "...Developments?"

"Big ones." She grins at him. "We're going on a treasure hunt, kid."

Link beams, scattering to test the water, whispering to Mipha without looking back, 

"I'll see you tonight."

He dives into the freezing water, teeth nearly chattering when he's back on the shore, explaining to an uncaring Tetra how he threw his shirt to sea the night before as he finds his discarded shoes and falls into step beside her.

"Treasure hunt, huh?" He says, making his way alongside his captain to their ship.

"Our prisoner apparently knows the location of Zelda's Treasure." Tetra explains. "I'm loathe to trust him, but Hilda has known him since they were kids, and apparently he's never told a lie in his life. He's drawing the map with Urbosa now."

Link falls behind for a moment, "You're trusting Ravio? I-I mean, obviously I'm not the right hand man, or the captain, but..." he quickly catches up as he talks, "...You're trusting Ravio?"

Tetra shakes her head, "I'm trusting Hilda." She strides across the docks to her beauty of her ship, "Go grab a shirt and relieve Urbosa."

When he's dressed and ready, Tetra directs him to the ship's hold, where Urbosa sits with Ravio. 

"Ah, the man of the hour." She grins, standing. "Took you long enough. Where did you go last night, anyway?"

Link shrugs with a sheepish grin, "Got drunk off my ass and wound up in a cave. You?" He knocks his knuckles against hers as he takes her previous seat by the cell.

"That stuff is water compared to Gerudo beer." She stands, stretching, and cracks her back. "So I came back here, played cards with this guy. He's bad at it." 

"Not for lack of trying," Ravio mumbles, not looking up from the parchment he’s drawing on. 

"...Either way. Captain tell you what was going on?"

"Kinda." He eyes Ravio up and down, "You know how to make an accurate map?"

"I worked for the Navy for years. Of course I know how to make a map." Ravio scoffs. 

"...I checked. So far, it's actually accurate." Urbosa shrugs. "I'm not entirely sure of this guys history, but he's apparently known Hilda since they were kids, so Hilda trusts him to not be lying about this, at least. But you're still going to watch his every move. He's attached at the hip to you now."

Link sighs, "Why do I get stuck with the worst ones?" He shrugs and shakes his head, glancing at Ravio again. "Nice eye, by the way."

"Thanks! Jeweled rings really did help it." Ravio responds cheerfully. 

"I'm going to go get some food and sleep, then." Urbosa ruffles Link's hair. "Revali will bring you some later on. He's in the bunkroom with Kass, so he'll hear you if you yell."

Link groans, "I don't think I ever want to interrupt Revali if he's in there with Kass. He might come up here and kill me himself, and the last thing I'd see before I die is a half-naked Revali. Is that what you want from me, Urbosa?" 

She rolls her eyes as Link cracks a joking smile, "Go get your food and sleep, and thanks for watching him for me."

"Of course, kid." Urbosa smiles and waves before heading out. 

"...I guess it would be hopeless to ask you to let me go, huh." Ravio says flatly, dipping his quill back in ink. Link refuses to even give the statement the time of day, closely watching his artistic strokes on the paper.

"Why not become, uhhh..." he waves his hand in the air, "a cartographer, or literally anything but a thief?"

"Less lucrative." Ravio looks up at him. The map is detailed and accurate so far with a clear path towards their goal marked. "Why did you become a thief instead of staying a blacksmith?"

"Who said you could ask questions?" Link barks, but falls quiet for a moment. "Adventure. I wanted to use the swords I made." He peers over, looking at the map taking shape. "Not bad, streetrat."

"Aw, thanks. You're a sweetheart." Ravio grins and turns back to his work. "Ganondorf was a real stickler for details, so practice makes perfect."

"Ganondorf?" Link perks up at the name, "You worked under him?"

"Well, he's part of the reason I quit." Ravio nods. "He's a real piece of work, I'll tell you."

Link whistles, "An enemy of our enemy." He stares down at Ravio's map, silently impressed. "Must be a real piece of work."

"...Yeah," Ravio mumbles, a bit uncomfortable to continue talking about the man. "You're lucky you all haven't encountered him."

"Who says we haven't?" Link replies, raising his eyebrows. 

"You're still alive, aren't you?"

Link falls silent for a moment, finally replying, "Finish the map," before plopping back down in the chair by the cell and picking up the well-worn book Urbosa had tented on the floor, marking her page before turning to the beginning.

Ravio snorts, dipping his pen back in ink. 

"Yes, Mister Hero."

Link glances back at him, hiding his smirk behind the pages of the novel.

Mister Hero. He liked that, even if it was spoken in sarcasm.

"Is drawing maps hard?" he eventually asks.

Ravio takes a moment to respond. "...Yeah, I guess," he finally says. "There's a lot of detail, and you have to know the seas well. Topography and all that."

Link takes note, trying not to show how appreciative he is, "How long will that take?"

"I'm about half done with the base, and that's from memory. So you'll have to ask your captain for some extra maps of the region." He yawns, rubbing his unhurt eye with a wince.

"...Are you tired?" Link glances at him again, "Did Urbosa keep you up all night?"

"Oh, no!" Ravio smiles at him cheerfully. "She let me sleep. It's been very comfy, sleeping on a wooden floor. The cricks in my neck are hardly noticeable!"

Link looks him up and down again before silently getting up and leaving for a moment, coming back with a bottle of ointment - something rare on the ship - and a wet rag. He lets himself into Ravio's cell and leaning down, examining his eye. 

"Hold still."

Ravio pushed the map aside, looking at the other man almost suspiciously. "...If I didn't know better, I'd say you're being nice, buddy!" he teased.

"I can easily just let you sit there with it hurting," Link says flatly, but gets to work anyways. "If you tell anyone, I'll blacken your other eye."

"Oh, there's the Link I know and love." Ravio lets Link clean up his eye, wincing when he touches the bruised, swollen skin. "I won't tell a soul~"

Link huffs, the tips of his ears coloring as he finishes and hands Ravio the rag.

"Hold it against your eye until the swelling goes down." He clears his throat, "And, um... hurry up with the map"

"I've done all I can for now." Ravio takes the rag and holds it against his eye. "You'll need to get your actual map from your captain so I can work on details and secure the best route."

Link sighs, getting up and taking the medicine wth him. "It'll be awhile. I think she's off the ship again." He continues as he locks the barred door again, "So, er... take a nap or something. I guess."

"I'lldefinitely try." Ravio gave him a thumbs up with his free hand. "Thanks, Mr. Hero."

Link grunts at the nickname as he plops down in his chair again, putting the book on top of his face as a makeshift eye mask before grumbling, "Don't even try stealing my keys, buddy, because I know the thought is already forming in your little goblin brain."

"Me?" Ravio blinks innocently. "Never."

He does, of course, try to steal the keys. 

Thirty minutes after Link falls asleep, Revali kicks him in the leg to wake him up. He's hoisted Ravio by the back of his shirt, wearing only his pants and boots. 

"You're a moron," he states, eyes narrowed. "I caught him sneaking into the captain's quarters."

"Just to get a map! I swear, ifwanted to escape I could have!" Ravio pleads.

"Come on," he groans, always grumpy upon waking up, "Are you trying to get two black eyes?" Link rubs his eyes and stands to stretch, making a noise resembling a dinosaur as his shirt raises with him. He turns to Revali with a hopeful grin, "You here to relieve me?"

Ravio wolf whistles, and Revali drops him with a noise of disgust. 

"No. In an hour. Though Urbosa told me to bring you food, and Kass wants to get to know you, so you lock the rat up and I'll be back in a minute."

Link raises his eyebrows at Revali willingly let Kass near him, and does as he's told, offering an open hand to help Ravio up.

"You alright?"

"Now that you're here, Mr. Hero." Ravio takes his hand gratefully, and Revali turns to go back up the stairs. 

"Keep him locked up, Link. The captain might be alright with this plan, but I'd rather take the plank than put our lives in this rats hands."

Link nods and puts a hand on Ravio's back, pushing him towards the cell, "Come on."

He sits down once again, hooking the keys on his necklace chain and putting it down his shirt, making direct eye contact as he did so.

"I really was just looking for the map. I didn't want to bother you." Ravio shrugs, sitting cross legged and looks after where Revali went. "....Sooo. He's nice."

Link shrugs, "Taught me everything I know about this ship. Guess I could consider him a friend." He smiles to himself; Revali was probably his closest friend on the ship, their constant bickering having turned somewhat friendly over the years.

"...I hope you know I was being completely sarcastic." Ravio smiles up at him. 

Revali comes down a few minutes later holding two hot bowls of stew, Kass behind him. 

"Rito specialty." He hands it to Link. "Keep you warm.” He sets the other bowl in front of the cage. "And you."

"Wonderful to finally meet you," Link says to Kass as he unlocks the cell door and gingerly hands Ravio the bowl. "It's really warm," he mutters to him, smiling before focusing on his own bowl. "You're a lifesaver," he says to both Revali and his partner before perhaps ungracefully drinking from the bowl and ignoring the spoon.

Ravio takes it, cheeks slightly red. Link is... sweet. 

"You're disgusting." Revali says flatly, sitting down with his own bowl. He wished Link would at least try and be vaguely polite in front of his boyfriend. After all, Revali had bragged about training him. Embarrassing. 

Kass sits beside Revali,”It’s wonderful to finally meet you, as well!" As fascinated with pirates as he is, he admittedly doesn't know what proper etiquette is and figures it must be best to just mirror what he sees. Much to Revali's despair, Kass ignores his spoon as well.

"Gotta admit, buddy," Link flashes a smirk at Revali first, "I was expecting you to be some hardened ex-pirate. I think I like this version better, though."

Revali sighs and continues with his spoon. He, at least, will have good manners. (Ravio is not provided a spoon and follows Link and Kass's examples) 

"Kass can hardly hold a weapon. He would be terrible pirate," he snorts. "But he's an amazing musician, so that makes up for it."

"Musician!" Link smiles, "I'll have to hear you play before we-" his expression wavers, "before we leave.”

Revali catches it and raises an eyebrow. "What are you looking so sad for. You've never been in Rito until yesterday." Then he laughs, "Of course, how could you not love it? It's the best town in the seas. It's no wonder you fell in love with it so quickly."

"That!" Link nods towards Kass, "I'm just! Sad. For you and Kass, and the Captain and Hilda." He nods again. He was a master at cover stories! The king of them!

"...Of course." Revali obviously doesn't believe him, but doesn't press. "Well, we're here for another week. I'm sure we'll get all the visiting time we need."

A lie, of course. But no one would ever see him tear up when they left, because he covered it so well.

Link's and Kass's saddened nods are almost uncomfortably similar at the statement, and they all sit in a momentary silence upon the unavoidable fact of them leaving being brought up.

"Umm," Ravio taps the bars with his now-empty bowl, breaking the quietness in two, "Am I gonna be washing these, too?"

"Of course you are." Revali snaps, and Ravio groans. 

"I'm really not good at it, though..."

"Practice makes perfect." Revali grunts, then turns to Kass. "Link found this guy skittering around. Caught him stealing off his neck."

"...Speaking of!" Ravio lights up and turns to Link. "I've been curious! Where did you get that?"

"Uhhhhh," Link quickly brings his bowl back to his lips to give himself a moment to think, "My sister found it on the beach when we were little."

"...And you didn't think to sell it?" Ravio blinked. "That's pure silver, do you know how much you could get for that? Your family would be set for life."

"It's, um, it's special," Link replies, "And it's just me and her and my grandmother, and they do fine with the money I send to them." He finds himself rambling, "And I'm almost positive she and Flynn have started catching each other's eye, and Grandma isn't doing too well, so-" He clears his throat. "It's special."

"But-"

"Do you ever shut up?" Revali cuts Ravio off, scowling. "We should punch your mouth, instead."

Ravio sighs. "Rude."

Link regains his composure and shoots a grin at Ravio, "We don't all think of money. And before you make a remark at my being a pirate, I'm in this for the adventure, buddy." 

He finishes his food and wholeheartedly thanks Kass and Revali for bringing it, "It seriously was some of the best I've ever had."

"Of course it was." Revali rolls his eyes. "Leave your bowl, I'll have the rat take it. You're off for five hours."

"...Nooo, Mr. Hero!" Ravio leans against the bars. "Don't leave me with him!"

Link waves and smiles, "Remember to press that rag to your eye!" 

He finds himself... kind of bummed that he has to leave, but shakes it off quickly and jogs to the main deck. Link quickly makes sure nobody sees what direction he's taking before he takes off to find that cave again now that he's sober. Mipha is already waiting, and she brightens when she sees him. 

"Link! I was worried you wouldn't be able to come!"

He climbs up beside her, wringing water out of his hair as he speaks, "I wouldn't stand you up!” Link laughs, "Glad to see you without a horrendous hangover."

"Oh, I know! I just didn't know if your captain needed you for very long..." She traces a small scar on his shoulder with her finger. "I'm glad she didn't...."

He sighs, "We're taking four hour shifts with our prisoner. He's supposed to be making us a map, but..." Link groans, "He never...shuts...up."

"That sounds difficult." Mipha laughs. "You've never been too much of a talker.... What kind of map is he making?"

Link wonders if he's allowed to even say, but realizes he and Mipha's friendship is a secret they've kept for years, so he spills, "Zelda's Treasure-- he knows where it is. Supposedly."

Mipha'a eyes widen. "...That's... a dangerous route," she whispers. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Link shrugs, leaning back. "Captain's wife trusts him. It's a complicated social chain, but I guess ultimately it's not up to me."

"...Nngh." Mipha chews on her thumbclaw, looking nervous. "We know where it is. Or where it supposedly is. It really is quite dangerous, and I've heard whispers the Navy is after it...."

Link perks up, leaning in, "You know where it is?" and adds, "Yeah, he used to be a Navy guy."

"Supposedly." She looks uncomfortable. "It's a really... not-good area. Sea monsters to say the least, they say the area is actually cursed. Zelda's Treasure is protected by her spirit, but the area around it has just attracted... awful, awful things. My father decreed none of us to go anywhere near it. It's a ship graveyard."

"It'll be okay," Link smiles at her, "The Captain knows how to move her ship. Urbosa and Revali know every inch of it, too. And Daruk could singlehandedly fight another crew." He thinks for a moment, and adds as a joke, "I think I'm cute enough to convince any criminals to take me instead of the Captain, too, and if all else fails I've heard Ravio's head catches a fair price."

Mipha lets out a laugh at that, reaching to take his hand. She squeezes it. "Of course... I trust the sea to take care of you, at the very least. I only wish there was some way I could come with you..."

"I agree..." he puts his free hand on top of their intertwined ones, "Think they'd be mad if I carried a mermaid on board as our new member?"

Mipha laughs. "I'm not sure if mad is the word. I'm sure they'd be very excited to sell me to the top bidder."

"Naw," Link tosses a smile in her direction, "You know how good I am with a sword."

"Against a troupe of money hungry pirates?" Mipha raises an eyebrow. "Not everyone joins just for adventure, Link."

Link laughs at the thought, "It's okay, Mipha, I'm good at keeping secrets, besides, we're-" He thinks of Ravio, and decides to exclude him from his statement, "We're all a family at this point."

"Well..." Mipha shrugs and flops her tail, splashing Link's legs. "If I ever find a magical spell to split my tail into legs, you'll be the first to know."

Link shakes his head as he laughs, "You better not change anything about yourself for me, Mipha." He tries to offer another smile as he rests his head against hers, kicking his legs in the water.

"...Well, it would be nice to visit the town, I think," she says, quietly. "I'm sure there's no spell to speak of, but it would be nice, wouldn't it?"

Link falls silent, a bad habit of his he indulges in when the gears in his mind begin to turn. Hilda might know of something like that, but he barely feels comfortable even asking how her day went. 

Tetra, perhaps, but how would he explain why he was asking? 

Revali and Urbosa would surely bombard him with questions until he could no longer make excuses, so they were out as well.

Daruk had been on the ship longer than Link, but... truly, not to be rude, but it's a bit obvious that he's on the ship for brawn over brains.

A certain jailbird flashes through his mind, and he has to hold back an annoyed groan.

Ravio... was unfortunately the best choice to ask about such a thing. Link could hold the fact that Ravio was under him to avoid questions, and threaten him with violence or bribe him with extra food or a blanket for his silence on the fact.

His brow furrows in thought as his free hand comes up to his chin while he quietly thinks. Does something like that even exist? Would Ravio even stay quiet if he asked? He can nearly hear his ever-present voice, _"So, guess what Link asked me about the other day..."_

Mipha is silent with him, letting him think as she traces over a scar on the palm of his hand. 

Finally, she breaks the silence. 

"...I think I'll swim after you when you leave. To your destination, I mean. I can check the waters for you, make sure your passage is clear."

Link looks at her in surprise, "...Is that safe? For you, I mean?" His grip on her hand tightens, "What about your family? And if something happens to you-" his expression twists into a grimace, "Just... I... Is that a good idea? For you?"

Mipha squeezes his hand and gives him a smile. "I'm tougher than I look. My father won't be.... too happy, but I can talk to him. I just want to do whatever I can to help you on your journey."

Link fakes an exasperated sigh, "Why'd I have to pick a girl who's dad is the king of the seas?!" He finally laughs, "Well, whatever. She's worth it."

Mipha hid her face in Link's shoulder, a bashful smile on her face. 

"I try to be," she says quietly. "...I'd also like to see you more often. I miss you when you're gone. Five years is a long time."

"I missed you, too." Link squeezes her hand, looking out to the sea. "But I'm... worried," he admits, "I have no idea how long we'll be sailing this time. And my own crewmates aside-- what if we bump into another ship and they see you?" He fights back a cringe as he thinks about it.

"...You.... have a point." Mipha sighs. "...I'll think of something. I don't want you go without... something. I'm not sure."

"Ah-" Link sits up, "I hope you don't think I'm trying to convince you not to come because I don't want you to! I want you to. I missed you so much." He quiets his voice, "...I missed you so much."

"No, I understand!" Mipha gave him a bright smile, then cupped his cheeks to press their lips together. "...I missed you too."

He smiles into her kiss, accidentally breaking it with the expression.

"You know," he starts, "I was this close to including letters for you in the envelopes I sent to Aryll. Like, 'Dear sister, there's a love letter in here. Don't open it, put it in a bottle and leave it at the docks. Nothing suspicious.'" He laughs, shaking his head.

"Would she have listened?" Mipha laughs, running her claws through his hair. "However long you'll be gone, we'll find a way...."

Link smiles, knowing better than not to believe her. "I want you to really think about it before just following our ship. Don't put yourself in danger for me."

"...I'll think about it." Mipha leans in to kiss him again. "How long can you stay here before you go back to the prisoner?"

"I've got a few more hours," he smiles again, leaning on her. "But only a few more days, so let's do whatever you want, okay?"

"As cheesy as it sounds, if I'm with you I'll be happy." She nuzzles his hair.

Link laughs, holding her close. They talk until Link is sure he's cutting it very close, and unfortunately has to tear himself away from the cave; from Mipha.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course." Mipha gives him one more kiss before sliding back into the water, peering up at him. "Please be safe heading back."

When he gets back, Urbosa waves him towards the captains quarters. Ravio stands there in front of Tetra's desk, fiddling with his hands. His purple robes are gone, instead dressed in a loose cotton shirt and pants, feet bare. Hilda leans over Tetra's shoulder, and looks up when Link comes in. "Ah, there you are." 

"His map is incredibly accurate to the region, even without using any reference guides." Tetra hums, motioning for Link to come and see. "No wonder he was top cartographer of the Navy."

Ravio, behind Link, winces. 

"Please don't say that."

"Sore topic?" Link asks him over his shoulder before stepping forward to admire his work. And admire he does.

Not only is it accurate, it's aesthetically pleasing, his pen strokes concise and clean-- even his handwriting is neat and easy to read. He drew small doodles of waves where he listed oceans, and Link cracks a smile at the attempt of the ship he drew at Rito.

Top cartographer, for sure. 

"This is one of the nicest maps I've seen," Link says to particularly no one, and then to his Captain, "And you're positive it's accurate?"

"Well, we don't own a map of the specific area the treasure is apparently located. But the areas around it match our maps perfectly, so I trust that that is, too." 

She narrows her eyes at Ravio. 

"And if that trust is broken, your ribs will be, too."

Ravio gulps and waves his hands. "Oh, don't worry about me, Miss Tetra! I'm positive that it's accurate! I have a photographic memory!"

Link slings his arm around Ravio's shoulder, squeezing him threateningly tight to remind him they're not friends just yet, "How 'bout that? You get to keep your photographic memory and your head for a little while longer!"

"Which is great, believe me!" Ravio grins, though it's a bit weak at the edges. "I'm v-very excited to travel with you all into a sea of monsters!" 

"Aren't we all." Tetra smiles sharply and stands. "Alright, then. Link, you're watching him again. We'll spend the next two weeks preparing, and then we'll go. Hopefully we'll survive and be back with out hides intact."

"Two weeks?!" he blurts out, immediately beaming. He nearly bolts for the door, excited beyond belief to tell Mipha.

"Hey!" Tetra barks, stopping him in his tracks. "In case you forgot, you're on prisoner duty. I'm sure you have better things to do, but you'll be spending the rest of the day with our cartographer here."

"Oh, good. I have an official title. This is really happening." Ravio says, barely heard from behind Link. "Great!!"

Link keeps his grin as he nods, turning back to Ravio.

"Looks like you're stuck with me tonight, huh?"

"Better you than the white haired man with the bird!" Ravio smiles brightly. Tetra barks out a laugh. "I hope I don't keep you up too long, Mr. Hero."

Link laughs and slings his arm around him again, his mood soaring, "Come on, then." He weakly and goofily salutes at Tetra before marching out with Ravio, leading him towards the jail again. He almost mumbles an apology to him for having to bring him back there, but keeps it to himself.

"Well, you're in a good mood." Ravio sits down on the floor of his cell without being prompted, crossing his legs. "Where do you go whenyou're not here, anyways?"

"Ah... exploring," he answers quickly, leaving the cell door open and sitting across from him on the floor instead of the chair. "I've never been to this town before."

Ravio looks a bit confused by this action, but doesn't say anything about it. "Really? You looked pretty excited about it." He sighs, scratching the bottom of his bare foot idly. "I don't blame you, exploring is nice. I'd like to stay in port as long as possible. Maybe forever!"

Link pauses, studying him. "Are you-" he stops himself, "...Hold on." 

He stands and quietly ascends the stairs up to the main deck, looking around and making sure it was dark out before going back down halfway, poking his head down and holding onto the railing. 

"Ever been on a date with a pirate?"

Ravio blinks. 

"...I've never been on a date with anyone, despite my dashing looks. You have, I'm guessing."

He shakes his head, "Nope." 

Link descends the rest of the stairs and unlocks the cuff on Ravio's ankle, though it wasn't attached to anything yet. He walks back over to the stairs and looks over his shoulder expectantly, holding a finger to his lips.

Ravio stumbles to his feet before following, a happy grin on his face. "Why, Mr. Hero. So chivalrous, taking a poor man like me on a date. I knew you were something special~"

Link stops shortly, Ravio immediately bumping into him.

He leans in close, brow furrowing, 

"Shhh."

Ravio nods, then mimes zipping his lips and throwing away a key. 

Tetra sees them go from her perch on Hilda's balcony, not far from the water, but only smiles. Link is a good kid, and if she trusts their prisoner with anyone, it would be him.

Link looks over his shoulder more often than not to make sure he hadn't bolted, and eventually just sighs and grabs Ravio by the arm, pulling him into step beside him. 

"You're slow on your feet," he says, trying to sound displeased, but his smile still remains.

"I only wanted you to hold my hand," Ravio teases, looking around at the surrounding buildings. Rito, unlike Link's hometown, is built out of painted wood instead of stone, colorful curtains hanging from every window. The streets are busy, and Link and Ravio have to stick close together to not get separated. 

"...It's a cold place, isn't it?" Ravio muses. "Mountain air."

Link nods, peering into a shop and eying their weapon supply. Ravio keeps walking, quickly stopped by Link's hand on his arm again. Like a kid in a candy store, Link wanders in with near sparkles in his eyes as he browses their collection of arrows, daggers and knives.

"Oh, uh, tell me if you want anything. No weapons though." Link tells Ravio.

"So, nothing?" Ravio snorts, examining a carved glass sword. "You said you made swords, didn't you? Is that what you did before you ran off?"

Link pauses, silent as he studies a knife, turning it over in his hands. 

"Yeah. I wouldn't phrase that last part like that, though. I'm not running from anything." He talks as he hands the shopkeeper a handful of coins and ties the blade to his belt loop.

Link turns back to his date, putting his hands on his hips and smiling. "Where to next?"

Ravio shrugs. "I don't know my way around here any better than you do. Buuuut...." He leans out the door, looking further into the marketplace. "There's a bunch of food stands! I haven't eaten yet, so let's go!"

Link readily nods; he's always a sucker for some good food. He wonders if anyone sells that soup Revali and Kass brought the other day...

"Apple pie! Fried bananas!" a woman calls out from her stand, her voice carrying out over all the other vendors. Ravio and Link share a knowing look before they march towards the brightly colored shop sign reading _Misa's Sweets._

"Two of each of what you're calling out there, ma'am," Link says as he throws several coins on her counter, a few extra than the required amount as a tip.

"Here you go, kind sir!" Misa hands them two fried bananas on a stick, pocketing her coins. "Thank you for your patronage!"

Ravio takes a huge bite of his, groaning around his mouthful. "Ahh, man. That's good. Is all food in Rito this great?!" 

"Well, we certainly try." She laughs. "You two certainly aren't from here. Neither of you are dressed for it, at least. Travel in with the ship?"

"Kinda." Ravio shrugs. Not willingly, in his case.

Link kicks Ravio's foot, "Indeed we did. Captain Tetra's Red Lion, the big one docked at the end." As if on cue, a shiver slips past his resistance, and he asks, "Happen to know where a guy can get a warm bowl of stew around here?"

"Saki makes the best. Rito specialty." Misa jabs her thumb down to a storefront further down the road, a few buildings down from Hilda's bar. "Not too expensive, either. It'll warm you right up." 

"Thank you, ma'am!" Ravio chirps, already heading towards it. He doesn't even have a coat on, and is freezing.

Link snatches him by the hand this time, knowingly nodding towards Hilda's.

"You want us both to get in trouble?" Link asks him, letting go of his hand, undoing the bandana around his neck and handing it to Ravio. "Tie that around your head or just... something to make you look different." 

Ravio ties it around his head, tucking his hair up into it. "Uh, does this work?"

Link nods, then looks him up and down, "...Is that the warmest thing we gave you to wear?"

Then he looks down at himself and shrugs. It isn't a super cold outfit, but not one for colder weather. He wears cloth pants, a short sleeved shirt, and sandals. 

"...Yup. It's an old crewman's, apparently."

"I'll get you a blanket or something to wrap around you when we get back on the ship," Link promises, starting toward the shop that Misa woman had pointed out.

"Aw, whenever you get nice to me I feel so fuzzy." Ravio squeezes Link's hand, chewing on the last of his banana. 

Saki's found its home in a small wooden shop, the front wall consisting of two large doors, which were open for customers. Inside was warm and cozy, holding a counter to order from and several small tables. Most people, it seemed, took their stew to go.

"Welcome!" A thin, tan woman with curled, pale red hair waved at them from behind the counter. "I'm Saki, what can I get you?”

Link lets go of Ravio's hand — goddesses forbid anyone get the wrong idea, right? — before oh-so-gracefully answering, "We, um, heard you guys had stew?"

"Oh, of course!" Saki pointed to a chalkboard behind her. "Which kind do you want?"

"Uh..." Ravio squinted at it. "...The special...?"

"Alright, coming right up." Saki turns, heading towards the back. "Please wait here, I'll be right back! Tulin, come out and watch the register!"

A young boy - Tulin - comes running out of the back, clambering up onto the counter near the register. He's about five years old with wild white hair and dark eyes, and he shoots a bright smile at Link. "You're one of those guys on the lion, right?”

Link blinks a few times -- this was a pretty popular pirate town, after all, so it was impressive to him that this kid knew his ships.

"Sure am," he replies, handing over his quickly-depleting money, "How'd you know, buddy?"

"You have blonde hair! Revali was talking about a pirate with blonde hair!" Tulin opens the register and drops the coins in before handing him his change. "No one really has blonde hair in Rito! It's really cool!"

"Aw. You're popular." Ravio elbows him.

Link smiles a bit bashfully-

Wait. Did he say Revali?

"How does a kid like you know a guy like Revali?" Link asks, leaning on the counter, "He's a tough son of a-" He pauses; sailor's cursing should be controlled around children, after all, "...he's a tough guy!"

"Isn't he!" Tulin starts to jump up and down. "He's super tough! He shoots really cool and he kicks butt and he brings home a bunch of treasure too! I wanna be a pirate just like-!!"

"Don't talk his ear off, Tulin."

A tall man, with braids to match Revali (though his were shorter and the rest of his hair spikier) comes in with Kass. He crosses his arms, raising his eyebrows at the young boy. "Don't you have chores to do?"

"Momma told me to watch the register." Tulin drapes his arms over the register and grins, showing off a gap in his teeth. "So I'm workin’.”

Link waves at Kass with one hand as the other swiftly pulls Ravio's bandana over his eyes, "Long time to see, boyfriend of my maybe-friend!" His attention turns to the other man; Link ever being good with kids sides with Tulin, "And workin' good he is!"

The main raises a thick eyebrow, looking Link up and down. 

"...You must be Link, then. The name's Teba. You've already met my son, Tulin." 

Tulin is practically leaning over the counter at this point. 

"Can you tell me all about your adventures? Revali was tellin' me yesterday but he's been so busy with Kass I've barely heard nothing!"

"Anything, Tulin. You've barely heard anything." Teba corrects, and Tulin huffs. 

"Anyway, tell me all about it!!"

"Tell you what," Link smiles at him, "Let me warm up with this food and then I'll tell you anything you want to know." He glances at Tulin's father, "...Within reason."

Teba gives him a small smile at that. He's known Revali his whole life, and the man never cut corners when it came to telling stories, even when they weren't the most appropriate for a five year old. 

"Sit with us when you get your food, then." He waves Kass to a table nearby. 

"Thank you! Thank you!" Tulin jumps over the counter and goes after his father. Saki comes out with two full bowls, laughing as her son climbs into a seat. "Tulin, I asked you to watch the register!" 

"I watched it! No one came in after Link and scarf man!"

Link thanks Saki, taking his bowl and murmuring to Ravio, "Come on, Scarf Man." 

He carefully carries his bowl to the table Kass and Teba sits at, "I hope it's ok if my, uh, colleague here joins us."

"Oh, Moron." Kass smiles. "Don't worry, he doesn't have to hide his face. I won't tell Revali." 

Ravio looks at Link, then grins and tugs the bandana off his face before digging in. 

"Are you a pirate too?" Tulin asks, leaning over the table. Ravio nods. 

"The toughest one."

Link holds back a snort as he nods and jabs Ravio with his elbow, "Tell him about the last sea monster you singlehandedly fought, tough guy."

"It was amazing. I kicked total a-"

Teba coughs. 

"...Total butt."

Link nods again, "We were all asleep; by the time we woke up and got on deck, Ravio here had the beast singlehandedly slain," he pauses and takes a sip from his bowl, "Didn't you?"

"Oh, absolutely." Ravio nods and grins, leaning in. "It was a dark and stormy night..." 

He weaves a story worthy of legend. By the time he's finally done, the beast is slain, they've made millions, and Tulin is awestruck. 

"Dad. Dad. Dad!! Did you hear that!" He shakes Teba's arm, and Teba snorts and pats his head. 

"I was here the whole time, Tulin. Very impressive."

As Tulin is focused on Ravio, Link gives Teba a smirk as he shakes his head "no".

"So how do you know the Great Pirate of the Seas Revali?" He takes another sip, ignoring his spoon once again.

"Oh. We grew up together." Teba takes a sip of the tea Saki brought them as Ravio spun his tale. "His grandfather lived next to me when we were kids. So we saw him every day."

Link laughs immediately, "So he actually has friends! The myth is true!" Kass laughs with him, and Ravio just shakes his head. "Your shop is great, by the way, this is some of the best shit I've ever had-" he coughs, glancing at Tulin again, "Yeah. The best food."

"It's all Saki's." Teba looks over at where his wife is talking to a customer. "She's a fantastic cook. We opened it up soon after we got married." 

"It's is the most biggest food place in Rito!" Tulin brags, bouncing up and down in his seat. "And Dad has the biggest weapon shop! He makes huge bows and arrows and stuff!!”

Link smiles, "You must be proud!" He finishes his soup and starts on his tea as Ravio asks, "You sell a lot to that scary guy with the bird?" 

"Revali," Kass tells Teba, as if it wasn't obvious.

"When he's in town, yes. Mostly we trade. He brings material from across the ocean." Teba shrugs. 

"He's so cool!" Tulin slams his small palms against Teba's arm. (Teba to his credit, does not react) "I'm gonna be a pirate just like him!!"

Link nods again, "You're gonna be a good one, too!" He looks over to the outside, noting the darkness, "Anywhere else you wanted to go?" he asks Ravio.

"Your four hours are almost up, if that's the time you're taking to show him around." Kass mentions. "We can walk you back to the ship. I'm meeting Revali there, anyhow."

Link stands quickly, hand abruptly in Ravio's again, "I owe you my life for telling me that first part," he throws back the rest of his tea and thanks Teba before adding, "Sorry, Kass, but we'd better get back before Revali comes out to meet you." He winks before heading towards the door, "See you sooner than later!"

The moment Link locks Ravio back in the cell, Urbosa opens the door to the keep and leans in. "Why are you still here? Didn't you have somewhere to go?”

Link nods, “Thanks, Urbosa.”  
He enjoys spending time with Ravio. But he only has two weeks left, and he wants to spend as much time as possible with Mipha. 

—

"Link, I brought you something." she tells him, two weeks later and thirty minutes before he leaves for his voyage. "Um. If you'll accept it…"

"Of course, I treasure anything you give me," He holds up the five year old pendant on his necklace, smiling, "Obviously."

"Well..." She pulls a box out of the water, handing it to Link. "I... made something for you. I think it will fit..."

The tunic in the box is a dark blue, with collar out of gray fabric. It's beautiful, but simple enough to pass off as something he purchased. 

"It will help you... swim. In case something happens." Her cheeks are red, seemingly nervous. "And you can breathe underwater with it. It's to protect you."

"Mipha! You made this?!" He exclaims, holding it up to examine it better, "It's beautiful! Can I go ahead and put it on?" He asks this uselessly as he already begins to remove his lightly tattered sailor's shirt, tossing it to the side before pulling the tunic over his head. It fits perfectly, and he looks down at it as he pulls his necklace out from the collar.

"Well? How do I look?"

Mipha is staring at him, eyes wide, and she shuts her mouth with a click and a gulp. 

"Y...You look really good. I... It looks really good."

His expression turns proud as he puts his hands on his hips, "Of course it does. You made it, after all." His smile turns gentle, "Thank you, Mipha, so much."

"...I really, really like you." Mipha pulls Link in for a hug, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "I'm going to follow along. I talked to my father, I'll have a guard entourage."

Link hugs her back, his embrace tightening in excitement at her second statement, "That's wonderful!" He smiles brightly, "So I'll see you again tonight! I'll sneak out to the deck and bring a rope ladder." He kisses the top of her head, grinning.

"I'll be waiting for you." Mipha kisses his forehead, then his lips. "Be safe when you're pulling out, okay? Um. I love you."

"I love you too." Link gives her another smile before heading out to shore, Mipha watching him climb back up and shake his hair out like a dog.

She sighs, watching him leave. "...He's so handsome," she says to herself. She was so lucky. 

As he comes up the road to the ship, he sees Revali, sitting on a bench with Kass. He raises his eyebrows when he notices Link. 

"You're soaking wet. Nice shirt.”

Link snaps and points at him without stopping, saluting as he wrings water out of the end of his tunic. Kass watches him as he continues to head towards the docks, laughing a little.

"He's a strange one, isn't he?"

"He's a weirdo," Revali mutters, staring after him. "First day I met him he went off about how the sea was his best friend. But he's not too bad once you get used to him." He sniffs. "I'm better."

"Of course you are," Kass lovingly kisses him on the cheek, "you're the best pirate in all the seas." He takes Revali's thin hand in his, trying to brand the feel of it in his mind. 

He knows it'll be a long time again.

"I am." Revali mumbles, squeezing his hand. "...You know, I said it before and I'll say it again. You could come with us. You're a good musician, I know Tetra wouldn't mind you coming along to play some music and keep spirits up. Moral and all that. You said before it would be nice to travel."

He knows it's a long shot, but he might as well try. Five years is way too long, and he has a bad feeling about this trip.

Kass looks down, his smile saddening greatly before he speaks, "You should stay here, instead." He doesn't have to look at Revali to know he's a little shocked; he's never asked him to stay before. But he does look up at him, his voice much quieter.

"See how hard that is?"

Revali slumps, leaning forward to press his forehead against Kass's shoulder. 

"...I'm sorry I'm always leaving," he mumbles. "I want to stay here and build a life with you. I just..." 

When they were kids and only friends, he'd talked about nothing but being a pirate. He'd run out to the ships, watching the people come and go, and spin tales of his future epic adventures. Four days after he kissed Kass for the first time and two days after his grandfather had died, at age fourteen, he had run onto the Red Lion and begged the captain (Tetra's mother) for a job. He had never been home longer than three months since. It had been more than twenty years since then, and he had been at sea longer than he'd ever been on land. 

He loved Kass, deeply. But he loved the life of a pirate just as much. 

(sometimes, when Kass was at home alone and writing his partner a letter, he wondered if, perhaps, Revali loved the sea more than he loved him.)

Kass gently lifts his face off of his shoulder, cupping his cheeks with his hands. "It's okay," he gives him a small smile, "Please don't apologize for following your dreams, Revali."

"...Listen." Revali places his hands over Kass's. "If this is successful, when I get back, I'll be one of the richest men in the seas. We'll travel together, you and me." He pauses. "...I need to stay with you. I can't go another five years without seeing you. We'll figure something out."

Kass's smile brightens, "I think I can go a little while longer if it means you'll stay next time." And brightens some more at the thought. "I love you," he says before he finally kisses him, gently and genuinely.

"I love you too." Revali murmurs, fingers threading through his hair. "I'll write you, every day. Write amazing songs about me. You're the only one that captures my greatness."

"Revali," Kass smiles at him again, longing for him to send him off with more than a mutter, "I love you."

"...I'll be back," Revali promises, dropping his hands to hold Kass's again. "So don't miss me too much."

"Revali!" Urbosa calls from the ship. "Hurry up, we have to head off!" 

"..." He meets Kass's eyes once more. "Say goodbye to Teba and his brat for me."

Kass presses another kiss onto his lips, embracing him tightly before loosening his grip, allowing him to leave when he wants.

"I will," he says, smile saddening again, "Be safe, Revali."

If it was up to Revali, he'd never leave Kass's arms. He'd stay there, and everything would be great. Perfect. He'd be happy.

But it isn't up to him, and he nods before pulling away. "I always am." 

He turns and marches back to the ship, ignoring the now-common feeling of his feet and heart screaming at him to turn around. It feels stronger this time, but he simply ignores it. 

Revali never says goodbye, never looks back. He's never been good at that kind of thing. 

He boards the ship, and as everyone begins to move around him, he locks himself in the kitchen broom closet and breaks down. And Kass, as always, waits at the docks until the ship completely disappears, and even then he waits an hour or two longer, just in case by some miracle he changes his mind and convinces Tetra to go back.

It never does. But just in case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kass and Revali is a weird little ship we started in one of our other RPs. And now I'm pretty sure we're the only ones into it. Um, sorry to his actual wife and kids. Y'all great.


End file.
